Watch Over Me
by GallifreyGryffindorGirl
Summary: The Doctor suddenly becomes Clara's over protective guard after she is assaulted and injured - whether she likes this new side of him or not. Later an adventure requires them to go undercover as a married couple.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One **

The Doctor was walking slowly around his control room, occasionally he pressed a button or pulled a lever. Occasionally he added to the equation on his blackboard, though despite his calm appearance his upset was noticeable in the way he broke the chalk every time he used it.

He'd done it again, put his foot in his mouth, started an argument with Clara again and it had ended with the yelling at each other to leave the other alone. He wasn't sure how long it had been for her, he'd randomly flicked buttons and dials until he calmed down enough to allow the TARDIS to cruise, he'd have to calm a bit more before he finally landed though, this seemed to become a pattern. They'd go on an adventure, he'd do something, they'd argue, they would leave each other angry and upset, then the Doctor would hop forward in her time stream a fraction when it had only been a few hours for him and they would both give an awkward apology for their hurtful words.

Why had it become so difficult? The Doctor broke another chalk stick at this thought. His other faces, the last few anyway, had found it so easy. They knew the right things to say, they were good with people, approachable even. Was that why he'd ended up with the old grey face that was always scowling this time? He wasn't approachable or good with people this time? Was he supposed to be alone and push away people who cared? Clara had loved his last face- that he was sure of – and his last face while still somewhat pining for River and the Ponds had been infatuated with the tiny girl with a funny nose and wide eyes. He'd told her '_I'm not your boyfriend_' because he just knew he wasn't that fun man anymore, he couldn't be what she expected. This new regeneration came with a pair of hardened hearts that wouldn't allow him the same pain or closeness that his previous regeneration's had experienced. Loosing Rose, taking away Donna's memories, knowing how River would die and when all those times he met her, losing the Ponds to the weeping angels. He snapped another piece of chalk. Regeneration was a gamble, he knew that.

It didn't stop him being annoyed with himself however that he just couldn't seem to say anything right. With other people it didn't bother him so much – usually Clara was there to translate his angry words into what he actually meant – and he didn't care if he got them to like him or not. However when speaking with Clara it was like she suddenly didn't understand what he meant, and his mouth didn't seem able to compute all the things he felt, wanted to say and turned them into something else. Usually into something that started an argument.

The phone began to ring suddenly, startling him. Yes shock and surprise, he'd blame that on the reason his seventh piece of chalk had just snapped in his hand and that it had nothing to do with his emotional thoughts. Nothing to do with the sudden hope since only one girl had the phone number to the phone-that-was-not-a-phone since he re-routed the number. He swung the TARDIS door open, not pausing to see the beauty of open space, and answered with a gruff "Hello."

"…Doctor?" Clara of course answered, but this was a voice he'd not heard her use before. Soft, hesitant… a trace of left over fear.

"Clara?" he frowned at the phone "What's wrong?"

"Doctor. I need you to come pick me up."

"Where?" he asked, his grip on the TARDIS door had gotten tight enough to turn his knuckles white and cause a little pain.

Clara took a deep breath on the other end of the line. "Saint Marys Hospital in London. Saturday, 2:05AM."

Another on Clara's end probably thought it was odd for her to be so specific, however the Doctor got a little bit more wound up – she was never so specific about time. Unless she had a date of course, but then that was time for him to return her by rather than a time to collect her. "I'll be right there." He said and hung up, slamming the phone on the receiver. Something must have been very wrong because for once when he did that the TARDIS did not make any sound of complaint for his harshness – and he could have sworn she moved a hell of a lot faster through the time vortex than normal.

He landed outside the hospital, when he entered through the emergency room doors he saw Clara almost immediately. She was sitting on a bed looking like he'd never seen her before – her skin was deathly pale, her hair a complete mess and coated in blood coming from a gash on her head that had stitches. She shook visibly, her expression was petrified and she gripped the edges of the bed with a white knuckle grip. She looked… defeated, broken and scared. It was a look he never wished to see on her again and one that sent ice into his two hearts.

A police woman stopped him as he approached – Clara hadn't seen him but she looked up when he spoke. "Sir I'm sorry but I can't let you pass-" the police woman gave him a cold look and tried to physically stop him.

"She's my friend, let me pass!" the Doctor growled watching as Clara's eyes finally move and search for him in the emergency ward.

"Sir I-"

"Doctor!" Clara jumped from the bed, her legs didn't look steady under her but she managed to wobble into him and he caught her before she fell, arms under hers propping her up. "Thank you…" she mumbled into his jumper.

"For what?" the Doctor frowned down at her, conscious that the police woman was still hanging around and glaring at him suspiciously.

"Coming to get me."

The Doctor's frown increased, had she really thought he wouldn't come? He didn't have time to ask, nor the inclination while she was looking so fragile, because the nurse came over and had Clara sign her discharge sheets. The police woman stayed for a fraction longer telling Clara that they would be in contact about the incident and explained that if they take some man too caught, she might have to testify if she was okay with that. Through the entire affair Clara held tight to the Doctor and for once he was not going to complain about the hug. It wasn't even a hug really, more like she frantically held onto him like he was her security blanket. For once he didn't mind being considered a security blanket.

He knew he'd have to ask her what happened, but he waited at least until they left the hospital and entered the TARDIS. Clara had expected the Doctor to take her to her room or something instead he lead her down the left had corridor into a medical infirmary that she'd only ever been in two or three times before. He led her to sit down on the bed, then he began to fuss over the gash on her head. "They did a decent enough job stitching you up." He said after a minute or two. "Please tell me you just slipped and fell in the shower?"

Clara shook her head slowly, her head was pounding probably from the pain.

The Doctor took a seat beside her, his entire frame was rigid but not from contact this time. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asked, his voice was tight with barely controlled anger. "You don't have to."

Clara sighed, leaning closer to him as if to make sure he was still there. "It shouldn't have happened" she said darkly. "All those times I worried while travelling with you and the time I actually get hurt it's around the corner from my own flat."

The Doctor looked down at the usually happy and optimistic girl, his arm was gingerly coming around her shoulders – she leaned into him and he held her cautiously at first, but soon his hold became firmer, more possessive. He couldn't think of anything to reply to what she said with however, she he just squeezed her should.

"I only went out because I was upset we argued…" Clara confessed with a sigh as she leaned her head on the Doctors chest, the sound of his double heart beat was soothing her. "The girls from work, Ann and Tina, dragged me out to cheer me up – they thought I'd had an argument with Danny or something. Said a night out would be a good thing."

She heaved a shaky sigh, but she refused the cry again. "We- we met up with some guy Tina knew from her brother and when there was no more room in the Taxi one of them offered to walk me home, it was only around the corner I thought why not? Safer than walking alone right?" she snorted, her voice dripping with cynicism.

The Doctor waited patiently, his thumb started rubbing a spot on her arm.

"But… he didn't just want to walk me home…" Clara's voice caught at the lump in her throat and she felt like her throat was far too dry and sore to cry anymore so she stopped talking before she started crying.

The Doctor had been squeezing her arm pretty tightly, he released his grip as soon as he realised and rubbed the spot to soothe her a bit. "You don't have to say anything else Clara." He said his voice the softest it had been since his regeneration. "Why don't you go have a bath? I imagine you'll have quite a headache from that gash, the hot water should soothe it. Unless there's some other injury you want to tell me about – your holding your arm funny." He tried to distract her from the memory by focusing on where he could clearly see her pain.

Clara looked down at the arm he was speaking of, it was the arm he was stroking with his hand though she could barely feel the sensation. The nurse had given her a strong painkiller for the dislocated shoulder – they had been keen to put her arm in a sling properly too but Clara refused to wait the half an hour longer it would take. "I- I dislocated my shoulder." She said to the Doctor a little bewildered she had forgotten.

"And they didn't put your arm in a sling?" the Doctor slid down from the bed to stand in front of her, his hand had moved up to the joint and he was gently but firmly pressing it in several places to make sure the bone was back in the socket.

"I just wanted to get out of there…" Clara mumbled.

The Doctor felt a rush of affection for the tiny girl in front of him, his usually fiery Clara was resulted to this fragile girl? Sympathy and sadness from the girl was there of course, but it was hidden soundly by the rage pounding though his veins that someone dared try break her spirit. Clara gave a short squeak of surprise when the Doctor enveloped her in what was possibly the shortest and most awkward hug in her life, but she understood that this was the Doctor now trying to convey his feelings. Her old Doctor would have smothered her in hugs, holding her tightly and kissing her forehead and mumbled things into her ears. In a way she was thankful that this Doctor was so emotionally distant at the moment because if he hadn't been she'd have probably broke down in tears again.

When he pulled away one of his hands went to her face, holding her jaw and thumb stroking over her cheek. He wasn't looking at her, but Clara glanced up and saw his blue eyes where shining with rage. But when he spoke, he sounded calm. "Go take a bath Clara, when you're done I'll put your arm in a sling and give you more painkillers."

The Doctor wanted to walk her to the bathroom. He wanted to sit outside the door and wait, make sure she was alright. Hell if he hadn't been so shy he would have sat in the bathroom with her while she bathed just to make sure she didn't cry anymore which he could see she was so close to doing. Instead he routed out a sling from the cabinet in the infirmary and went back to the control room to wait.

The TARDIS was awfully quite. Usually the ship was making some sort of noise, but it was like she could understand the tension and kept quiet. He hesitated at the controls. It was tempting to go back, prevent this from ever happening. But dissolving his own time stream – and Clara's – was not a healthy thing to do. The paradox if could create would only be minor of course, maybe not even enough to attract the attention of a reaper, but he wouldn't risk messing up her timeline anymore.

He paced and growled while he waited for her to return from the bath. He was furious with so many things. He was furious she agreed to go out in the first place, just because they had a fight. He was furious that her friends had made her go out. He was furious her friends hadn't taken better care of her. He was furious that some stupid human male had thought it perfectly alright to try take something from his Clara. The Doctor was so busy listing off the things he was furious with he didn't notice Clara come back into the room and sit in his leather chair, shivering in the white pyjama's she wore on the ship.

He softened a little as he looked at her little form in his large chair. She looked a little meek while he approached and knelt in front of her holding the sling for her arm. She said nothing while he positioned her arm – though she did hiss in pain at moments – he adjusted the Velcro straps until her arm was pinned across her chest at the right angle to heal from. She'd probably need help getting the damn thing off and on when getting dressed.

"Doctor are you alright?" her little voice asked when he came back from retrieving some strong pain killers that where safe for humans.

He frowned at her "Of course I'm alright, you're the one we should be worried about."

"You just look a little…" she hesitated.

"Yes?"

"Angry." She finished not looking at him as she accepted the little tablet from him and the glass of water.

"Not at you." He replied not keen to lie to her.

She nodded understandingly as she took the painkillers in a single gulp. "I'm taking you home." He said "Same day, you haven't missed anything. I assume someone at your work will be notified about what happened – so it would be a bit odd for you to turn up fully healed. I'm sorry I wish I could take you away somewhere until you're healed… you're to go home and rest though."

"Its fine, I understand…" she swallowed a bit more water "Not really sure I'll be able to rest though."

The Doctor approached her swiftly, not giving her chance to move away her tapped her on her head once and she passed out, he made sure that in the brief mental contact he gave her a dream – a happy one – sure that if he didn't, she would surely have nightmares about this.

When he was sure she was asleep the Doctor headed over to the controls to take them to her home. He could feel the beast under his skin raging still, wanting to take some kind of action, but he kept a leash on it. He would have to channel that anger into something else he knew or it would consume him just like anything else. It was easy to decide what to channel that anger into of course, there was little more important to him at the moment then the welfare of the girl who had saved him a thousand times.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Clara looked up from the marking on her desk when she heard snickering in the classroom. She looked up suspiciously at the pupils who were supposed to be doing their work silently, she hadn't really been paying attention as she marked their mock exams from that morning but she half expected to see someone on their phone or someone throwing something else at another student. What she didn't expect to look up and see was a bunch of student immediately look back down at their work and do their best to try hide their smiles.

"I feel a B+ was rather generous, I'd have given a C maybe B-…"

Clara yelped and jumped up when the Doctor spoke from right behind her. He grunted a bit when Clara's chair was suddenly pushed back into him but otherwise stayed exactly where he was standing.

She shouldn't have been surprised, Clara thought as she sat back down not even bothering to tell the kids off now they were muttering and giggling at them with amusement. It had been like this for the past week – ever since she was attacked and called the Doctor for help. Not that Clara regretted that decision, though she'd had a lot of explaining to do when she finally answered her phone to Danny's call on Monday. The man was hurt that she had called the Doctor when she was hurt rather than Danny.

Anyway since then the Doctor seemed to be obsessed with making sure she was safe – especially while her arm was still in a sling. He was there before she went to work – they often had fights over whether or not she would walk to the school or he would take her in the TARDIS, the only time he ever won those fights was on Wednesday during a thunderstorm. He always arrived at the school at exactly 3:15PM to walk her home from the school too. it was odd to say the least, but despite his still gruff and grumpy attitude, Clara knew this was him showing her he cared an awful lot and she appreciated his over protectiveness while she was still feeling a bit unsure on her feet.

The Doctor asked her questions after she was at work on Monday. It had been everything in her power to stop him marching up to the two other teachers she had gone out with that night – Tina was the Religious Educations teacher and Ann was the office manager – to demand answers to why they left Clara alone and slightly intoxicated with a near complete stranger. No amount of Clara insisting it was partially her fault too was getting him to understand either so she'd relented and said he was allowed to walk her two and from the school if it made him feel any better. He still glared and growled at Ann when he saw her and he was practically livid when Clara told him sadly that Tina had decided Clara was the one at fault not her attacker.

Clara admitted she was a bit more than annoyed about Tina's reaction too and the pair hadn't spoken a word to each other since. Tension in the staff room was running high these days – Clara was waiting to see which of them was asked to take some time off – which was why she refused to take time off while her shoulder healed. Much to the Doctors chagrin.

Now watching him look over her shoulder at the tests she was marking she said with a raised eyebrow (it still hurt to raise it thanks to the eleven stitches in her head but that didn't stop her) "I think a B is rather reasonable considering they have read the book and you have not."

"I did so read the book!" the Doctor looked offended.

"Doctor I asked if you had read Jane Eyre and you said no, I asked if you were going to read Jane Eyre and you said no and I asked if you would leave me alone while I read Jane Eyre and you said no…" Clara was aware that a few of the students had stopped their work to giggle at their interactions, however it was very close to the end of school so she wasn't too concerned with them.

"I read it today. Your flat is very boring – it made even Jane Eyre seem exciting." The Doctor sniffed. "I have no idea what Bronte was thinking. If I ever meet her I'll have to ask why she insisted upon a book that tortured the poor minds of English students for years."

Someone whooped at the back of class.

Clara turned to the class "You can all pack away now, you've got five minutes until we leave." She turned back to the Doctor and hissed "No 'I'm secretly a time traveller' slip ups in front of the kids please Doctor, they're more likely to believe you than the usual adult crowed."

"I know" he smirked "But kids are also more likely to forget or assume it was something they dreamed about as they get older. I've said it before – remarkable perception filter you humans have."

"I'd still they rather didn't even get a hint about…" Clara took a deep sigh, was there any point even arguing?

The bell rang and Clara's class waited for her approving nod before they scarpered away already excited and shouting as if they were out of the school already. Clara stayed quite calmly behind her desk stacking the exams and making sure she'd marked them all. The Doctor watched her patiently – he'd gotten used to her after bell routine – his eyes where tracking her movements, the way the fingers twitched on her arm that was bound in the cast, the way her skin was slowly knitting back together under the stiches of her cut and the way the skin around the gash was slowly turning back to normal.

"Clara I was –"Danny Pink walked into the classroom and faltered at the sight on the Doctor standing behind Clara's chair. She'd jumped at the sound of his voice, causing a chain reaction for the Doctors spine to straighten and he tensed visibly as if expecting danger. Only his eyes calmed when they saw it was only Danny. "Oh. Doctor." Danny sounded put out already.

"Afternoon Danny." Clara's tone sounded rather clipped.

Her tone was enough to make the Doctor look down in surprise and Danny hesitate.

"Clara I was… uhm… look I'm sorry about earlier." Danny finished lamely, conscious that the Doctors eyes where tracking him and he was probably puzzling out whatever had happened between Clara and himself in his absence.

Clara paused her one handed paper shuffling and glanced at him. "Which part are you sorry about?"

Danny looked flustered "All of it of course… I was just… it's just been an emotional time and I guess we're both just…"

Clara sighed, knowing that while her emotional and physical pain where hers she'd be a fool to think it didn't have repercussions on those in her life. Which is why she'd of yet refused to tell her rather what had happened. "I know Danny but I was serious, can you please just give me a bit of space?"

Danny opened and shut his mouth, glaring from Clara to the Doctor clearly wanting to say something but he must have thought better of it because he left the room again without question.

"What happened with P.E?" the Doctor asked as soon as he stopped hearing his footsteps in the hall.

"Bit of a disagreement, let's leave it at that."

"Sure you don't want to talk?"

"Since when have you wanted to talk about my relationship with Danny – or anyone else for that matter?"

"Since you both started having a cryptic conversation right in front of me."

"Ah I forgot the great Doctor doesn't enjoy not knowing something does he?" there was a light tease to her voice.

He smirked "If I plead guilty will you tell me what was going on?"

She still hesitated, though she admitted it was more than a triumph for the Doctor to admit he had a tiny flaw of any kind. "We just had a bit of an argument. He touched me and… I didn't like it. I guess I yelled at him because Tina came into the staff room and well one argument went to another and Danny ended up leaving with Tina so…"

The Doctors jaw tightened and pule flickered in his cheek. "Remember when I said I don't really like P.E?"

Clara gave a slight smile as she turned to him in the corridor, he was holding her coat out so she could get her good arm in without using the other arm and she was locking up the classroom door. "It's okay I'm not exactly fond of him right now either."

They started walking back to her flat together, one of the streets Clara turned her head a fraction and said to the Doctor "It is Wednesday you know."

"I know, but I am not fond of the idea of you going on any kind of adventure with your arm in that sling and head all stitched up and bruised."

"We could go somewhere relaxing?"

"Don't know if you noticed but no matter where I go there is some kind of danger." He hooked an eyebrow as he looked down at her.

"That's what makes it fun!"

"You are impossible!" he rolled his eyes.

"I thought you already knew that when you called me your impossible girl?" Clara rolled her eyes right back at him.

They walked in silence for a little while before the Doctor finally sighed and looked down at her again. "If you're up for it we can take a short – and I mean short – trip to Victorian London. I'm not going to lie, the other day the psychic paper picked up an interesting message from Vastra. Something about a vanishing train."

"Sounds interesting." She looked excited "How would we hide my sling though? Or will I have to transfer my nice comfy one for a dirty fabric one?"

"I'm afraid you're going dirty fabric doll."

Clara paused for just a moment "Did you just call me Doll?"

"Would you prefer ghrá?" the word rolled off his tongue in a Scottish brogue – she assumed it was something he picked up while reading all the Scottish books the TARDIS had suddenly acquired when he became obsessed with his new accent.

"I have no idea what it means, but I prefer it to doll" Clara relented.

The vanishing train mystery was over by the time the Doctor landed – Clara was half sure he timed it exactly so there would be little to no adventure. Not that Strax was a disappointment in storytelling. After they'd asked exactly why Clara turned up so bashed and bruised – accusing looks where given to the Doctor when they asked – but Clara brushed aside the story and insisted they tell her about this vanishing train.

Which lead Strax, Jenny and her to be sitting in the kitchen. Clara was helping Jenny cook while Strax gave his own ludicrous version of the vanishing train – Jenny was quietly correcting him under her breath.

Vastra and the Doctor had retired to Vastra's wicker decorated green room – hardly able to see each other amongst the potted foliage, the Doctor wrinkled his nose in distaste at the smell Vastra's glass of thick red liquid – it was defiantly _not_ wine. Vastra seemed amused at his obvious distaste.

"So what _exactly_ happened to poor Clara's arm and head?"

The Doctor clenched both his fists, ground his teeth and replied once his sudden anger past. "She was attacked. Stupid humans, absolute pudding brains with no respect…"

Vastra looked amused "Why Doctor I would have thought you would know that the humans can be perfectly good predators."

He gave a disgusted snort. "I think I prefer a predator like yourself Vastra. You hunt for food. However Clara's attacked was of a sexual nature…"

Vastra's eyes widened, her own rage flickered, but she kept calm and collected. "Well. In that case I agree with you that humans can make inexcusable predators." She paused her sip, taking in the Doctors appearance. "I fear the real problem here is how you are taking the attempt on your companion? You are quite used to them getting into danger with you – but in danger without you, in a situation you cannot control and are unfamiliar with… how are you handling it Doctor? Because Clara appears healthy enough."

The Doctor snorted but deflected her questions easily. "Healthy enough_, ha_! She had a fight with her… her boyfriend because he _touched_ her. I'm not exactly sure how he touched her but she disliked it enough to cause quite a fight. I would not call such physiological damage _healthy_."

"Such damage would be expected Doctor." Vastra nodded understandingly.

"I know that." He growled with a fierce frown and an eye roll. "Apparently her _boyfriend_ did not."

"You don't like that word '_boyfriend_' do you?" Vastra gave a sly smile "Not jealous are you Doctor?"

He stood abruptly and turned to start pacing the room with a flare of his jacket, the red lining flashing. "Pah! Me, jealous?" he growled "What do I have to be jealous of?"

"Well assuming her lover is in fact human also… you might be jealous that Miss Clara has found someone normal to love, to share a normal life with. Perhaps you are worried that Clara's mate will convince her to leave you and let you travel alone again Doctor before you are prepared to leave her behind?" Vastra sounded smug as she hid her mouth with the glass she drank from.

The Doctor stopped pacing long enough to glare at her. "It was _my_ decision that Clara forgot about perusing anything with me."

"But did you really _believe _she would stop and find someone else?"

He threw a glare her way again. "Of course I did. My stupid other self was the one who hoped. I am not so blind."

"So what do you see now Doctor?" Vastra was watching him calmly, knowing that with well-placed questions she had always been able to coerce the Doctor into revealing his deeper plans, feelings even. His previous self had fallen for it ever time – but she hadn't dealt with this Doctor before, this new man with the accent and angry face and cold attitude. This man knew when to shut up and glare.

Or when to deflect with an insult. "I see a very nosy lizard woman."

Strax knocked on the door at that moment, thankfully interrupting the conversation. "Madame, this is a coach outside requesting to speak with you. Should I allow them in or shall I eradicate the intruders?"

"Allow them in Strax – it is a new case. Will you and Miss Clara be staying?" Vastra asked the Doctor as Jenny and Clara came in, Jenny putting down a tray of tea and Clara carrying a tray of scones in her good hand.

The Doctor was going to say no, he was going to take Clara back to twenty-first century London, take her to the physiotherapy class for her shoulder and get her to bed. But when he looked at her he caught her eye, her face. Her cheeks redden a little, her eyes glinted with excitement. Usually this was an expression that only appeared on her face as they grinned at each other over the console of the TARDIS on their way to a new planet and a new adventure. He loved the expression, he hadn't seen in since before her attack, and he gave in to it without much argument. "Alright, let's take a look. I hope its interesting."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Despite the situation Clara was feeling remarkably calm. It had been two, almost three weeks since what she liked the call the 'incident' because saying she was attacked made her feel like more of a victim than she cared for. Her arm had come out of the sling a few days ago and though it was still stiff and she wasn't to strain too much she felt she would never ever again take for granted having the full use of two arms.

There was a particular reason why she was able to sit quite calmly in her chair while Danny glared down upon her, apparently his patience had run dry and any jealousy he'd felt over the past few weeks since he found out about her travels was showing. Because no matter how bad this situation seemed, it was nothing compared to running for your life, risking everything and saving the innocent (and hey even a few guilty ones got saved sometimes).

"I just can't do this anymore Clara, I'm sorry" Danny shrugged, though he did look really sorry. "I know you've been through some stuff recently, but I just can't do it anymore – I can't stand and say everything between us is fine when you're keeping me at arm's length, you won't let me in, you don't talk and you won't even let me touch you."

Clara's eyes had narrowed while he was speaking, she wasn't really upset, but she was irritated at the excuses he chose. "I already told you… I just don't like to be touched at the moment. It sets me up, makes me want to fight or run."

"But it doesn't matter when _he_ touches you." Danny muttered turning away.

"What was that?" Clara asked sharply though she heard exactly what he said.

"I said it doesn't matter when he – the Doctor - touches you though does it? I've seen you two, you don't mind when he pats your shoulder. You don't flip out when he touches you." Danny turned on her.

"Are you jealous?" Clara frowned. "How many times have I told you the Doctor and I are just platonic?"

"Nether of you are very good at keeping up that pretence." Danny snorted with irritation. "If he is just a friend as you say then why didn't you call me when you were in the hospital? Why didn't you call me to take you home when you were injured, why call the man who for all you know wouldn't have answered the phone or was a million light years away?"

Clara ran a frustrated had through her hair and stood, anger at a peak, she noticed An and Tina eavesdropping in the classroom opposite hers – not good at hiding their wagging ears behind books – but she didn't care as she practically growled at Danny. "You want to know why I called the Doctor and not you?"

"Yes."

"_Even_ if it hurts you?"

"Yes." He didn't hesitate, she gave him points for that.

"Because I was _scared_. Because I needed to feel safe, I needed someone I _knew_ would protect me! That's the difference between you and him Danny! _You_ would think it through before you acted because yes, _yes_ you are _such_ a _good solider_" she didn't say it like it was a bad thing, they both understood that as she continued "but the Doctor wouldn't hesitate if I was in trouble – yeah he might run in without a plan and _completely_ cock everything up every single time, but it saves lives. You have no idea how many times that man as saved my life and he _doesn't even expect a thank you_ for it? You're… just _too _careful Danny. And I didn't need careful then. I needed the Doctor…"

Danny stood staring at her for a few minutes, eventually he turned around and as he was leaving the room said "I can't play second fiddle to a mad man Clara. I hope you enjoy the unsafe man, and I hope you stay safe."

And then he left. Clara pulled on her coat intending to leave too. She was locking her classroom, catching Tina and An staring openly at her from the other classroom she started walking up the corridor to leave. She had promised she would wait for the Doctor to walk her home again but she thought now her arm was out of the sling and her head healed she was perfectly well to walk alone thank you.

Clara considered the strangely cathartic feeling she had after her break up with Danny. She'd been sure she'd feel upset though couldn't lie that she was pleased she wasn't – who wanted to be upset after a break up right?

Clara turned the corridor and gave a startled squeak when she walked into the hard chest of someone she very much knew. She stepped away from the Doctor who looked just as surprised and resisted rubbing her nose. "What do you have up your shirt? Bricks?" she asked instead.

He raised an eyebrow "Should that be a compliment? I heard human females are very interested in males with strong chests… or that might have been gorillas… not sure, your all primates though so same thing."

"… Did you just liken us to gorillas?"

"Yes suppose I did. Is it a compliment?"

"No, please don't do it again." Clara rubbed a hand down her face, tiered, but slightly amused.

"Where you sneaking off without waiting for me like I told you to?" he gave her a stern look.

Clara heled her chin up, a thing he'd come to associate with her about to defy something she's been told to do. "Yes. Although I do believe you said you'd be here twenty minutes ago."

"Yes well…" the Doctor wasn't looking at her as he checked out his nails. "When I heard you and P.E arguing I figured I should stay out of the way, so I waited up here in this lonely corridor."

Clara winced. "How much did you hear?"

"All of it." he fixed her with a look, an annoyed one. "I don't really think he was very fair. Everyone has a different reaction to being attacked in such a manner – no matter what extent the attack was."

"I thought I told you we're calling it an _incident_ now, not an attack." She said dragging him out of the building by the arm. He probably had a point that it was a good idea to keep him out of Danny's way for a while – he might not be violent, but she'd rather not rub salt into the wound she seemed to have caused him.

They walked halfway to her flat in silence before the Doctor couldn't resist asking "Did you really mean everything you said to Danny about me in your argument? Is that really why you called me? Because I don't hesitate?" he was frowning again.

Clara sighed, knowing how it sounded. "There's more to it than just that of course. You make me feel safe Doctor – not matter what, no matter where, no matter when. Your… your my Doctor." She did her best to explain not sure she succeeded at all.

Indeed they walked a bit more in silence before he said "I feel very affectionate towards you now, ghrá." In a mumble, his face had a blush too.

"Oh good, it's not just me then." She mumbled back just as awkwardly.

They looked at each other in the corner of their eyes for a second before they burst out laughing together as they climbed the stairs of Clara's flat.

"Clara I don't like this it's boring. There are too many people." The Doctor complained, his voice somewhat muffled behind at thick wool scarf she'd wrapped around his neck before they left the TARDIS a few streets away. She'd warned him it would be cold – he hadn't really believed her.

She was wrapped only in a cardigan, but for once she'd donned jeans rather than a skirt, her arms wrapped around herself as her teeth chattered. "Oh hush Doctor stopped complaining." She'd dragged him out to see the Christmas light switch on, she'd not really had anyone else to go with since her Dad moved back to Blackpool. Surprisingly it had took little persuasion to get him to go – she should have expected the complaining.

"Are you cold?" he asked, spying her chattering teeth and the way her lips where tinged blue.

"N-no" she chattered, unable to not smile at the way her body betrayed her.

Behind her the Doctor lifted an arm, considering holding the girl to keep her warm, but his arm dropped awkwardly again. That would be too strange. Anyway his body temperature was naturally lower than hers, this cold didn't concern him too much, so he shrugged off his magicians coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Clara looked at him, startled when his jacket surrounded her. He was standing there in only his white shirt, waistcoat and trousers now. It was the first time she'd gotten a good look at him without the coat on. Still just as long and thin as always – more so than his eleventh incarnation – but it suited him. "Won't you get cold now?" she asked him.

"Lower body temperature Clara, this is little more than a nippy breeze to me." He assured her. "Anyway I'm less likely to freeze to death than you are, so hush up and watch your lights, ghrá."

"You still haven't told me what that means." Clara muttered. She'd grabbed hold of his arm and cuddled into it. She knew he didn't like to be touched or hugged, sure enough he tensed under her for a moment, but relaxed eventually.

"I don't intend to. Brush up on your Gaelic, ghrá." He smirked down at her.

The crowded around them suddenly began to count down – Clara joined in, but the Doctor just looked bewildered until the Christmas lights above them suddenly blinked into life and bathed them all in a warm pleasant light. The Doctor enjoyed watching Clara's face light up in wonder and happiness at the lights just like all the other humans around them. It was such a human thing to take delight in little multi-coloured electric lights.

"So why where you so insistent to come see this now?" the Doctor asked, curious and aware that something had been bothering Clara when she stepped onto the TARDIS earlier. "I have a time machine, we could have come here any time. I could have taken you to the lights turn on in London 2060, or the new year celebration that rings in the 22nd century!"

Clara turned her attention from the lights to look at the Doctors face. She worried her lip for a second, looking away. "I got a call from the police today."

He stiffened – Clara felt it in the arm she was hugging. "Oh?" his voice was tightly controlled but a little of the anger he felt still seeped through into it, shaking slightly.

Clara took a deep breath. "My case has been dismissed from court."

"What?" he did not yell, that was almost worse, instead it was a low growl in a voice that Clara could almost _feel_ in her bones.

"There wasn't enough physical evidence."

"Physical evidence? I'd say the injuries you sustained where enough physical evidence by far!" he was still growling, not looking at her his blue-grey eyes remained fixed on the lights above their heads. Anyone in the crowed however would have known something was wrong with the pair – tension curled around them, his jaw was tight teeth grinding in anger and she looked worried, wide eyes rounder than usual with sadness and anxiety.

"Apparently the guys defence was more than willing to argue that my injuries could have been sustained from a… a physically abusive relationship." Clara shuffled. "Tina has been talking to Danny, and he's been talking to me about the ways the defence was going to manipulate the trial."

The Doctor felt his negative disposition for the solider boy soften just a tiny bit. "At least soldier boy has his uses and morale." He muttered loud enough for her to hear. "I bet he was not too thrilled they were going to imply he was abusing you."

Clara shuffled awkwardly again. "They weren't saying Danny was the one doing the abusing."

"Then who?"

"You."

He finally looked down at her, momentarily to anger left his voice to be replaced with surprise when he said "Me? Why me?"

Clara shrugged, she wasn't looking at him. "Let's face it, we never really hid that we knew each other even when you took that caretaker job. How many times have people seen me disappear with you and re-appear with some sort of injury?" She shrugged again and looked up at him finally "Apparently there are just enough witnesses of those times to make a case against me and you believable."

Clara watched the Doctor above her open and close her mouth like a fish, no words coming out though his eyebrows knit together angrily in a frown. Finally he came out with "That's, that is not fair!"

She shrugged turning her attention to the Christmas lights again. "It's not, no. But I guess that's life."

"But… we can get people the system cannot ignore to testify that we are just friends, that I never hurt you. What about Kate Stewart? They couldn't ignore a government official like that." The Doctor began to rattle off a list of other big names of people they'd met – she didn't have the heart to remind him half the people where dead and having a zombie enter the court would make more problems than fix them.

"Doctor, I know you're trying to help but I don't really care." Clara sighed stopping him speaking by holding up a hand. "He's still been put on an alert for sex offenders, at least that's something. I know I'd rather have him off the street for good of course, but… these things are complicated, and I guess they're right when they say the system doesn't always work."

"Bu-" he sounded outraged still.

"Doctor" Clara looked up at him "Can we just enjoy the lights please? I just want to take my mind off it, forget even if it's just for now you know?"

"Okay Clara." The Doctor moved his arm out of her grip, much to her dislike until he instead wrapped the same arm around her shoulders and drew her against his side in a sort of one armed hug. Clara leaned into it with a sigh, it was probably the best kind of hug she could hope for from this Doctor for now at least. He turned his head to the side and rested his chin on her head, delighting a little that she was just the right height for him to do so comfortably. "You do realise I don't want to take you back home now?"

"But you will." She sighed into him.

"Of course. But I am still going to walk you to and from school."

Clara rolled her eyes unseen by him. "Have you always been this overprotective of your companions?"

"You're not just my companion though are you?" the reply fell out of the Doctors mouth before he could stop it, a blush immediately crept up his face and he was glad she couldn't see him.

"O-oh?" Clara blinked a little nervously.

"Your my impossible girl." He recovered from the embarrassment long enough to save himself from further embarrassment. Both timelord and companion thankful that the other couldn't see the blush on their faces.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Christmas half term rolled around and while Clara had always known it would never be dull with the Doctor around and so keen to not let her out of his sight, she had felt almost relived when he'd received another message on the psychic paper from Madam Vastra. No offence to the Doctor but Vastra's cases where always a lot more thought out rather than the mad dash and run into trouble then flee for your life that the Doctor usually dragged them into.

He was of course a little miffed at this description of their adventures which was why he was still ticking with annoyance as he sipped tea from a delicate cup in Vastra's room. The Lizard lady was watching him with something akin to amusement.

"What has annoyed you this time dear Doctor?" she finally asked with a roll of her eyes.

He only answered with a snort, so Clara said "I may have implied that your adventures where a lot calmer than his."

Vastra laughed loudly and they both jumped. The lizard lady did not often laugh so hard or with such gusto so when she did it took them off guard. "Oh Doctor you do take offence so easily this time around!" she laughed. "I'm sure Miss Clara was not insinuating that she would rather have her adventures with us than you, where you dear?"

"What?" Clara passed her bewildered look from Vastra to the Doctor. "Of course not, it's just nice not to nearly break an ankle running for your life for once."

The Doctor glared at her, opened and shut his mouth angrily and looked away like he'd thought better of saying what he was about to. That itself amazed Clara. He glared right at Vastra "You said you needed our help with something so can we _please_ talk about that instead?"

Vastra winked at Clara who was feeling a fraction more unnerved every time they met. It was like Vastra couldn't decide if she liked Clara or not – one adventure she would be warm and welcoming and the next she would be suspicious. When asked about her wife's behaviour Jenny just shrugged and said she was like that about most things.

"Yes Doctor we were hoping that you and Clara would help Jenny and I with a rather special case that requires more than two sets of eyes to go undercover."

"Why not ask Strax to help you?" the Doctor frowned.

"Because no one wants to be Strax's partner." Vastra gave an eye roll. "There have been murders, usually with murders the skeleton is left behind but this time – they are the only thing missing. A single puncture mark to the back of the neck but every single bone is missing from each body."

"How many victims?"

"Ten. It's always two victims – taken as a pair."

"Specific" the Doctor mumbled. Clara was sitting in her chair trying not to feel a bit ill.

"We rather think it is opportunistic" Vastra supplied. "The hunting grounds for this beast are rather filled with couples. We were asked to investigate discreetly which is why I asked for your help – though I imagine Miss Clara is going to have quite a time keeping you discreet."

Clara resisted the urge to squeeze her eyes shut against the difficult task that was and said "Sorry Madame Vastra but you haven't actually said what we'll be doing yet?"

"Oh yes, well we need you to come with us undercover at a couples retreat in the North East."

There was a pause. "Couples retreat?" the Doctor repeated.

"Yes" Madame Vastra's smile was growing.

"Me and him?" Clara had to clarify, a feeling of unease and excitement gathering in her belly.

The Doctor and Clara stared with wide eyes and bewildered expressions at each other, before they turned back to Madame Vastra. "Are you crazy?" the Doctor asked "No one would believe Clara and I were married. I mean for one there is the obvious age difference, and we argue – she can be such a control freak-"

"Hark whose talking?" Clara interrupted him. "Talk about pot calling kettle black!"

"Which is exactly why you two would be perfect!" Vastra called over their heated glares. "A couples retreat ideally is for couples who need their relationships repaired. All you'd have to do is act like you do now – maybe with a tiny bit more affection – and keep your eyes out for bone sucking beasts."

Clara bit her lip, Vastra made perfect sense. The Doctor beside her was shaking his head, looking down with a sardonic sneer "I don't like this plan at all." He muttered before glancing at Clara with the same expression and saying "Bet you wish we were running for our lives and breaking our ankle now eh?"

Clara sat uncomfortably at least several inches away from the Doctor in the sitting room of the lodge the couples retreat was being held in. it was stormy outside, had been since they arrived, bright forks of lightening where the only light source outside of the lodge and they had arrived soaking wet. Which coincidentally was why there were sitting together on the love seat closest to the roaring fire – the Doctor had insisted she get dry before she catch a cold. She'd only complied after he reminded her that Victorians had some very weird cures for the sick indeed.

There was defiantly an air of awkwardness between them as they sat together watching the other couples of the retreat mingling on the other side of the room where there was a small bar. Vastra and Jenny where loosely holding hands while being quizzed by a curious young pair – an obvious disapproving older couple where standing across the room glaring daggers, the Doctor kind of wanted them to dare say something to Vastra and Jenny just for entertainment purposes. He was all too aware of the distance between him and Clara. Exactly six and a half inches to be exact. He'd looked and measured easily while checking she was getting drier.

A large man with a handle bar moustache came over with his wife. They looked like they were about in their thirties, and smiled warmly at Clara and the Doctor. "Hello, we haven't seen you two here before. Figured we would come say hello since you don't seem like the mingling sort." The wife said sitting in the chairs to their left side. All the seats in the room had been set out into a large circle – under her breath Clara had muttered about 'circle time' and the Doctor had replied 'like children'.

"Yes. It's our first time to one of these." The Doctor tried to make his voice sound normal – but it didn't quite work, it still came out tight, impatient.

"Ach there's no need to be nervous" the husband was defiantly Irish. "We've all got our trouble with the missus, or mr in their case. You two should try say hello to everyone else, gonna bake by that fire."

"Yes well, we got caught in the rain and I have to make sure my… _missus_ doesn't get sick." The Doctor went to move an arm around Clara's waist, but thought better of it at the last second and placed it on her back noticing her dress was still damp. She looked startled at the contact first, but leaned into his touch with a slight glance at his face.

"Oh he's taking care of her isn't that sweet Frank?" the wife gave her husband a goofy smile. "You got a good one dearie, my Frank just tells me to deal with it! I'm Abigale by the way, Abigale Knight."

Clara smiled, shuffled a tiny bit closer to the Doctor as she relaxed a bit more. "I'm Clara, and this is…" she hesitated, they hadn't actually thought of a name for the Doctor.

Luckily he picked up for her. "John Smith – Doctor John Smith. She forgets sometimes when she's tiered bless her."

A man and woman walked into the room and Clara had a slight inkling that they were the hosts of this couples retreat. The man wore a loose flowing white top un-tucked from his trousers, his feet oddly where bare and his long uncut hair was pulled into a pony tail behind him. The woman wore a loose dress that Clara had never seen in all her trips to Victorian London she too had no shoes and uncut long hair. Clara leaned closer to the Doctor and whispered so no one else heard "Would I be mistaken in assuming these guys are Victorian _hippies_? I didn't even know there where _Victorian hippies_!"

The Doctor snorted, disgusted it as a cough when the Knights looked at them and whispered back "Well they didn't just suddenly _pop up_ in the seventies and eighties, though this _is_ the first time I've come across them."

"Everyone, would you like to take a seat with your partner please and we shall get started with introductions." The hippie woman said, her voice clear and sweet weirdly so.

There were nine other couples including Clara and the Doctor, they were made to go around the circle and explain their problems. The Knights on their left side had started (turns out they were having issues in the bedroom – Clara had to elbow the Doctor in the ribs when he grinned at that), then came the Sampson's and Brooks' (both those couples had trust issues) the Kelly's (they were having separation issues while her husband was away). Madame Vastra and Jenny went next saying they were having issues being accepted as a homosexual couple – Clara watched keenly as the group digested this, not many people seemed to have a problem with it. except the next couple, the Graces' who were ironically having issues because her husband had recently found out their new-born daughter was not his, so Clara felt they had no room to judge Vastra and Jenny. After them where two already irritating couples, the Matthews and the Geller's, who'd been to the retreat several times and though there was hardly anything wrong with their relationships they kept coming back.

Clara and the Doctor had been hissing sarcastic comments at each other before they realised everyone was looking at them. "Would you two care to share your problems with the group?" their male host asked – his voice unlike his partners was rough, like he spent his youth chewing rocks.

"No problems." The Doctors said immediately sitting ramrod straight with glaring eyes.

"Nope nothing." Clara added.

"Well maybe she's a bit of a control freak."

"Pot calling kettle" Clara retorted. "He's very grumpy."

"Now who's the pot calling kettle?"

"Alright, alright." The female host raised her hands to stop them speaking "I think maybe you two are having communication issues, don't you agree."

"Nope I think this works for us" the Doctor couldn't resist a retort. In the corner of her eyes Clara caught Jenny snickering and rolling her eyes.

"Now let's be honest…" the host looked a little patronizing.

"I am being honest aren't I Clara?" the Doctor looked at her, he seemed far too amused.

Clara looked at him, then glanced at Vastra and Jenny who gave her encouraging looks, she then sighed deeply put her hand on the Doctors knee – feeling him tense in surprise – she smiled at him sweetly and said "Come on love, you said you'd behave yourself while we're here."

The Doctor blinked, utterly confused for a second before he saw Vastra glaring at him through her black veil. He blinked again then looked at Clara, gave a thin smile and said "Sorry I'll behave myself, ghrá."

It was late by the time their hosts – who eventually named themselves as Heather and Stephen – had gone through the vague plan for the next week's activities. Again Clara had to elbow the Doctor in the ribs when he rolled his eyes or groaned like they were trying to kill him. Eventually they were finished and the Doctor joined some of the other patrons to collect their room key while Jenny and Vastra hung back with Clara.

"Having fun Clara?" Jenny asked, hardly containing her grin.

"Oh I bet I'm not having half as much fun as you two" Clara grumbled.

"Come now, he's been more well behaved than we thought he'd be. He hasn't called anyone a 'pudding brain' yet, or insulted the human race as a whole." Vastra encouraged, putting her hand on Clara's shoulder. "Then again, we have the rest of a week."

The Doctor returned looked very happy with himself with two room keys, one of which he handed to Jenny and Vastra who non to discreetly wished Clara good luck (this earned a frown from the Doctor) and a goodnight.

"Suppose we should turn in too Clara, you humans tend to run out of steam pretty quickly." The Doctor said following then up the stairs Clara trailing behind him.

She paused looking at his back. "What are the chances they gave us two beds in our room?"

The Doctor turned to look at her, putting a key in one of the doors without looking. "Oh come now dear, can't be a married couple and not sharing a bed." he winked.

The Doctor doesn't wink.

Not this one, not that Clara remembers anyway. Maybe that whisky he was drinking had gone to his head. "How much whisky did you drink?" she asks bewildered. "I think that's the first time I've seen you, this you anyway, wink."

He frowned "I'm sure I've winked before…." He muttered, then shrugged "Maybe, maybe not. You should be feeling lucky you're getting all this body's firsts. First face this face saw, first face this face winked at etcetera."

Clara entered the bedroom behind the Doctor, admittedly the entire room was rather grand. "Good use of wood" was the Doctor comment. He was right, everything was made of wood from the tables to the grand four poster bed. "Oh look, we have our own bathroom too" the Doctor had wandered into a tiny adjoining room.

Clara looked around. The majority of the room was taken up by the bed, the only other furniture being two velvet red wing armchairs in front of a rather beautiful fireplace. There was no choice about it – if they wanted to sleep comfortably and preferably horizontal they were going to have to share a bed.

Convincing the Doctor of that however was probably going to be the really hard part. Clara heaved a sigh, staring at the ceiling. This was going to be a long week.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

When Clara woke up the next morning the Doctor was sitting in the velvet armchair in the exact some position she'd left him in when she fell asleep. She had tried to convince him that sharing the bed would not be so bad, he'd had none of it of course insisting that his biology made him capable of going at least a day or two without a full twelve hours sleep and just two or three cat naps. At that Clara just rolled her eyes and went to bed not caring to argue with him any longer.

He was staring into the fire, eyes hooded by heavy lids, thumbs on his chin and fingers pressed together pointed up touching his nose, elbows resting on the arms of the chair. He didn't seem to notice she was awake, not until after she sat up, frowning, and asked "Have you been sat like that all night?"

He looked up and stretched a bit, bones cracking which he looked irritated by. "If its morning already than I must have been. Too bad I didn't think to bring a chalk board or something, could have scribbled down all my ideas. I've forgotten most of them now."

"You can't pack a chalk board into a suitcase – you're not Mary Poppins."

"You sure about that? Her bigger on the inside bag didn't have a distinct timelord technology about it" he wriggled his eyebrows in her direction as she got out of the bed to go to the bathroom and change into a dress.

Clara rolled her eyes "Oh please, next you'll be telling me your Santa Clause too since his sleigh must be bigger on the inside to carry all those presents and get around the world in one night."

She shut the bathroom door on his face that had suddenly lit up with a bright expression.

Clara and Jenny where trying to keep back a fit of giggles. It always happened didn't it? That time when you're not supposed to move you immediately want to laugh – need to laugh even. The Doctor had tried to explain that Nervous laughter is laughter evoked from an audience's expression of embarrassment, alarm, discomfort or confusion, rather than amusement which may be rendered by more of a conscious effort in an attempt to move a situation along more quickly – he'd have continued explaining too but Vastra hushed him from where she sat beside him behind a large canvas stealing occasional glances at Jenny.

It was the first exercise they were being put through – painting or drawing your partner the way you see them. Vastra and Jenny hadn't seemed too concerned about the activity, then again Jenny posed for Vastra often and was used to it. The Doctor and Clara however had a brief scuffle over who'd paint and who'd pose ending with Clara posing and the Doctor drawing - mostly because she knew she had no artistic skill and the Doctor hadn't tried drawing since his regeneration yet. Clara kind of hoped he had that skill still from the concentrated looks he kept glancing her – and the irritated ones when she moved or laughed. The guide with them, Heather, hadn't given them any indicators if the paintings where good or bad when she passed behind Vastra and the Doctor. Maybe Clara would catch up to her later and ask for schooling for her failed poker face.

Clara smiled when she heard Jenny giggle again and glance her way in time to see her nearly loose her balance and fall from standing up so long. "Why couldn't you have sat me down too Madame?" Jenny whined but her face was smiling as she looked lovingly at Vastra, who just smiled back.

Clara giggled "Don't start complaining or I'll feel like I owe the Doctor a thank you for putting me in a sitting position" she said, trying not to move her head.

"I think you should thank me" he called loudly over his own canvas, glancing around it to steal a glance at her – she didn't miss the smug grin.

Clara rolled her eyes "I'm not going to thank you."

"Next time I'll make you stand." He warned.

"There's going to be a next time?" she frowned.

She seemed to have stumped him, he hesitated at least. "… Maybe. I think it's turned out pretty well… I think."

Clara heard the insecurity in his voice – the first time since his last self and even then Eleven had been notoriously confident in just about everything. She felt moved to comfort him, just like he had when she was feel insecure, but couldn't really – so instead she drew his mind from it. "Are you being _modest_?" she hooked an eyebrow at him, turning his way just a fraction.

"Clara _don't move_." He sounded exasperated, but the insecurity was gone.

Over his shoulder Clara saw Vastra take a none too discreet leer at his drawing – she looked surprised, giving Clara a glance herself, but that was all indicator of his work she got for another half hour before Heather called for them to finish up their work for the afternoon tea. Jenny fell onto Clara's lap almost immediately.

"I swear standing on your feet like that is worse than wearing pinching shoes all day." Jenny said, lowering herself to the floor from Clara's lap and rubbing her sore feet.

"You should see some of the shoes girls in my time wear" Clara said "Heels like this" she demonstrated by holding her hands about seven inches apart and watched Jenny's eyes widen in horror and awe.

"Why would anyone torture their feet like that?" the Victorian girl asked sounding truly baffled as Clara pulled her up so they could go see their portraits.

"Probably so poor short girls like us don't feel like toddlers compared to everyone else" Clara shrugged. "Most of the other people I've met are just a few inches shorter than the Doctor – so that's like two of us!" she joked.

The reached Madame Vastra first who proudly stepped back from her work, an elegant portrait of Jenny in a delicate ballet pose that seemed to ooze peace and beauty. Clara smiled at both the paintings beauty and Jenny hugging her wife before she moved over to the Doctor. "So do you still have my artistic skill?" she asked him teasingly.

He gave her an annoyed look. "Why don't you tell me?" he huffed moving so she could just see over his shoulder.

He'd not painted or drawn her, he'd instead done a charcoal drawing of her face – the most detail she could see was in her eyes which he'd drawn large and wide. She looked more closely and realised she could see what looked like stars reflected in the eyes he'd drawn on her. Clara looked from the drawing to the Doctor – who wasn't looking at her.

"This is… amazing." She said eventually, taking a handkerchief from her pocket. "You defiantly didn't lose the artistic skill in your regeneration."

He looked at her then, a smug smile on his lips. "I didn't, did I?" he even sounded smug.

"You did however forget how to keep charcoal off your face apparently" she scolded lightly, rubbing her handkerchief on his chin where there was a clear thumb print in black charcoal. He jumped lightly at the contact but soon just sat there staring at her face while she rubbed the mark from his face. The Doctor wondered if she knew she was biting her tongue lightly while she cleaned him?

The Doctor cleared his throat lightly, breaking Clara from the almost trance she'd gone in while cleaning him. She bit her lip instead of her tongue and took a half step back. "That cut on your head" he said having noticed while she was so close "the one that needed stitches – it's healed nicely, hardly a scar there now eh?"

Clara smiled, hand touching her forehead where the skin was just a fraction lighter. "I don't know kind of disappointed hoped I'd end up like Harry Potter" she winked.

The Doctor snorted at that "I think you need to be hit with an unforgivable curse for that."

"Damn." She smiled.

Vastra cleared her throat suddenly, they both jumped forgetting anyone else was around and surprised that the room was otherwise empty. "As nice as it is to see you two bonding rather than arguing, now would be a good time to get out onto the grounds of the property and take a look for out sinister beast. Now all the attacks took place around the lake, I suppose we split up and take a side each – if anyone asks you're taking a romantic walk."

And so walking around the lake, which had broken its banks in the rain from the previous night, was how the Doctor found out this regeneration _hated_ mud, and getting wet. He stuffed his hands further into his pocket and complained "It's bad enough this body doesn't seem capable of holding a consistent body temperature, there's a skeleton stealing beastie out there and I'm covered in mud!" he waved his muddied shoe in Clara's direction.

She was a little ahead of him having not been too fussed about the mud, she rolled her eyes before she turned around to him "Hey you're not wearing a long dress so stop your complaining!"

He stopped walking, gave her a suspicious look. "Let me see your shoes."

"What? Why?"

"Just show me your shoes!"

Clara lifted her skirt a tiny bit and showed him the modern white sneakers on her feet.

"Your cheating!" the Doctor glared.

"Am not!" Clara smirked at him "I'm taking advantage of a bad situation. Not my fault men's Victorian outfits are not long enough to hide 21st century footwear that make walking in mud easier." She winked.

The Doctor started off on some rant about her cheating, she caught something about her risking their cover as time travellers and was about to point out he'd risked that an awful lot every time he opened his mouth while he was insistently stalking her at the school after the 'incident' – when something caught her eye.

"Doctor"

"And another thing –"

"Doctor!" she called louder of his voice.

He stopped talking, catching the note of urgency in her voice "What is it?" in one stride he had closed the gap between them until he was standing at her back almost pressed against her, an kind of imposing shadow.

"In the water… I thought I saw something."

They watched the calm water of the lake for a second. It was eerily quiet, no birds or other sounds of life and a typical thin northern fog had settled over the grounds, the dark water of the lake was calm and nothing disturbed it.

"Could have been a fish?" the Doctor suggested, squinting.

"Doctor this is us. Between a bone stealing monster and a nice little fish how many times has our luck let it be the thing that isn't going to try and kill us?"

She had a point.

The Doctor stepped past her for a second, crouching at the water's edge he dipped two fingers into the dark muddy water, sniffed it and then sucked the water off his fingers. Clara wrinkled her nose behind him but didn't make a comment. He rolled his tongue a few times with a frown before he stood up again. "Odd, PH level of this water is far too acidic to be normal – and that's even by Victorian standards."

"Doctor" Clara took a suspicious step back from the water's edge. "Is it in the water?"

The Doctor looked at her. "Clara" he said "It's in the water."

"Okay so… let's move away from the water yeah?"

"Yeah… but not turn our backs to It." the Doctor said backing away from the water slowly, he didn't tell Clara how he felt something watching them. Goosebumps raised on his skin and a dark tickle brushed the back of his neck.

Clara didn't need telling, she backed away with him staring at the water like it was a hunting cat about to pounce and they were little mice. When they were far enough away – they ran.

Later that night after dinner Vastra and the Doctor had pretty much barricaded themselves into the library of the Lodge with a few old books the Doctor had retrieved from the TARDIS which had been hidden in the foliage of a churchyard a few streets away. They were doing their best to find something about a bone stealing thing that lived in the water, so Clara and Jenny had wandered off to the social tea room downstairs.

They had been chattering about some ridiculous thing Strax had done since her last visit when someone started yelling, a bell ringing outside and all at once everyone seemed to rush outside. They arrived in the time to hear the familiar gruff Scottish accent yelling "Let me through."

They were on the banks of the lake, Clara wished she hadn't looked. She had assumed with dread almost as soon as the commotion started that the creature had attacked again but there is a difference between knowing what it did and seeing what it did. She turned away quickly from the fleshy puddle that had been – she recognised the faces even without bone structure to them – Frank and Abigale Knight, the sweet looking couple who'd spoken to her and the Doctor the first night.

Clara was busy trying to keep her dinner down but could still hear the Doctor talking, his tone brook no argument. Occasionally Vastra would add something in, or Jenny, a voice she didn't recognise Clara assumed belonged to the policeman that had arrived on the scene minutes after them.

"Clara can you hold… Clara?" the Doctor stood up, noticing finally that his companion seemed rather distressed as she stood away from the scene and away from the crowd. He glanced down at Vastra who still crouched over the bodies, the lizard woman gave him an encouraging nod and he went to Clara's side. "Clara are you alright?" he muttered quietly, not wishing to be overheard offering her comfort.

"Y-yeah." She let out a shaky breath but when she looked at him her expression was anything but alright. "It's just different you know… when you've me the victims. You wanted me to hold something?"

The Doctor gave her a light encouraging smile, and in a gesture that was becoming more common for him he draped his jacket over her shoulders. "Just keep hold of my Jacket please. Why don't you go inside and I'll meet you later? We shouldn't be too much longer."

Clara hesitated, he saw it in her face, but she nodded and said she'd meet him in their room later before she left, wrapping his coat further around herself.

He returned to Jenny and Vastra, discreetly sonicing the bodies to try get any more information. They managed to stay quiet for a full two and half minutes before they asked questions. That was thirty seconds longer than normal he noticed.

"Is Miss Clara not well?" Vastra asked keeping her eyes low.

"Clara met these people earlier, I think she rather enjoyed their company. It is human for her to elicit a negative emotional response to their deaths." The Doctor said, his voice a tiny bit defensive even to his own ears.

Vastra's expression softened "Not just humans have that response to a family face on a corpse Doctor."

Clara was sitting in the armchair by the lit fire when he returned, she was still wearing his jacket but had changed into the long nightgown she slept in. she brightened a fraction when he entered, looking like she wanted to say something – but the Doctor had missed her open mouth and cut across what she was about to say.

"It defiantly came from the water." He said, his back to her as he struggled to get one of his muddied shoes off. "We found a trail from the bodies to the lake – kind of like a slug trail actually. I'm also pretty sure all this water has caused my shoes to shrink!"

"Any ideas _what_ it is?" she asked curiously.

"Nope, no idea. We can't find any clues to anything amphibious _and_ bone stealing. Little bit concerned it could be a hybrid or two monsters – more likely it's something new. Just means it's a bit harder to find a way to stop It." the Doctor flopped into the other armchair in a way very similar to his other self, eyeing her carefully across from him. She was so tiny her feet didn't touch the floor.

"I was thinking – it lives in the water right so why not try draw it out and trap it the same way you trap anything out of water?" she suggested.

The Doctor frowned. "You mean a fishing rod and a large net? I'm not sure that would work. And we'd need a really big net."

Clara blushed "No I mean… oh never mind it's a stupid idea."

"No go on." He urged leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I like hearing your ideas Clara. Anyway If you don't forward wrong idea how would you learn what a good one was?"

Clara blinked. "Are you saying you're trying to teach me?"

He smirked "I don't teach just anyway, it's a privilege you should take it as a compliment."

She still gave him an unsure look before blurting "Fire. It probably doesn't like the heat, if you can find a way to trap it you can cut off its retreat to the lake again with some kind of fire blockage?"

The Doctor sat back again, considering and after a few moments smiled. "That's a good start" he said finally, watching he noticed Clara's chest heave discreetly with a relived sigh before he averted his gaze quickly. "Actually it's a really good start, if like Vastra suspects this monster is basically a product of earth and water than fire would be a good way to dry it out so to speak."

He got up again "I need to go talk to Madame Vastra about this. You don't mind do you?"

Clara grinned "You don't have to ask me you know. Actually since when have you asked me, you usually just run off"

"I was trying to be considerate of your feelings." The Doctor crossed his arms defensively. "This is a strange place after all, with strangers, and there are no door locks."

Clara's smile fell and she hesitated then. His teasing smile dropped too when he saw her face and he came back over, crouching in front her. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable… I can wait until the morning to talk to Vastra."

"No" Clara pushed past him to stand, pacing a little she said in a troubled voice "I can't keep being scared you know, it's not fair. I don't want to have to rely on you, and I don't want you to be my personal body guard."

"Let's be fair, I haven't really given you much choice in whether I'm your guard or not." He pointed out honestly.

"Well maybe you should stop…" Clara bit her lip, knowing she sounded harsh. "I don't mean… It's not that I don't appreciate your concern really it's just… I just don't want you to blame yourself if I manage to get myself in trouble or worse again."

"Which is why staying with you is the best way to stop you getting hurt." He tried to reason.

"Or it'll just make you feel worse when I do get hurt. Let's face it, it's not like I'm bound to stay safe with you glue to my hip or not." She said it with a rueful smile, trying to let him know she wasn't angry or hurt – but his face still fell a fraction. "Travelling with you is dangerous – but I love it so don't think I want to stop. Plus let's face it I'm a bit of a danger magnet, so me getting hurt again is inevitable."

The Doctor shuffled his feet, not quite sure what to say knowing she was correct. "…right." He ended up saying with an awkward scratch of his neck.

Clara smiled at his awkwardness. "Are you going to talk to Vastra?"

He started a bit "Oh. Right yes. Will you be alright on your own?"

"I'll probably stay awake until you come back." She confessed.

They shared a small smile, the Doctor awkwardly patted her shoulder before he left.


	6. Chapter 6

_Decided to put reviews to use – someone gave me a wonderful tidbit on Timelord sleeping habits, very interesting and if I had a timelord sleeping habits I'd be acing my degree right now! Anyway you got me thinking how grumpy the Doctor would be after going too long without sleep so… here you go and thanks :P _

**Chapter Six**

The Doctors sleeping habits intrigued Clara half the time. He told her he only required an hours sleep a day to remain fully functional, though he did say on occasions when he was bored he slept longer, and could go several days without sleep. However it was disturbing when he had gone for days without sleeping and was beginning to wear down. He started to act like a toddler in need of a nap – and looked like someone with a hangover.

Clara tried not to crack a smile when he yawned again.

The remaining couples at the retreat – two having left since the deaths of the Knights previously – where sitting back in the main room having what Clara still dubbed 'circle time'. Clara had spotted Jenny and Vastra doing their best not to crack smiles when it had been the Doctor and Clara's turn to complain about each other – an activity Clara had found rather cathartic though she was sure half the couples where confused by her complaints as they were about the Doctors. Their weird complains about the other where upstaged however when Jenny complained (jokingly, probably) about Vastra 'shedding'.

During a break Clara stood by the fire trying to thaw out her hands which where stiff from cold – she missed central heating – and tried to think about their plan for getting rid of the lake monster that night. The more she went over the plan in her head the less nervous she felt. She was so busy thinking she hardly noticed being joined by another woman – the one who kept glaring at Jenny and Vastra.

"Your husband seems quite nice." The woman said.

Clara blinked in what was probably a dumb way before she remembered that the Doctor was supposed to be her husband. "Oh yes, he is."

"A Doctor is he?"

"One of the best." She didn't lie – she just didn't make any specifications about whether he was a medical doctor or not.

The woman eyed Clara up and down in a way that made her self-conscious. "Quite the age difference between you two isn't there? Not that it matters."

Clara frowned, her back straightened defensively and she tried not to just snap at the woman. "No it doesn't matter." She said trying not to grit her teeth.

The woman obviously noticed Clara's irritation with the question, but she didn't apologise. Instead she continued down the malicious line of questioning. "Funny how most men would be all over a pretty young thing like you – but he's not touched you. No wonder you're trying to repair your relationship if he doesn't want you."

And hand curled around Clara's waist and drew her closer to a hard body. Clara peered up at the Doctor through her eyelashes and saw he was just giving the other woman an irritated glare and holding a glass of ice water in his other hand. "Ever thought maybe we are just more private about intimacy Madame?" the Doctors voice was more growling than he probably meant it – it was a side-effect of his lack of sleep too.

Still his voice and words made the other woman go away so Clara didn't bother to point it out to him.

"Thanks, _love_" Clara smiled giving him the endearing word.

"No problem ghrá" he replied, still not having looked down.

Clara turned her gaze back to the fire. "Suppose we're not very good at acting married are we?" she smiled softly at the flames – they'd known it'd be a long shot anyway.

She felt the Doctor shrug beside her. "Not sure, Timelord marriages are pretty different from human ones."

Clara looked at him again. "You've been married to humans before."

He snorted "Not sure you noticed but not one of them was what you would call a conventional human marriage."

Clara considered that before asking "What do you think a human marriage is like?"

Startled by her question the Doctor finally actually looked at her, seeing curiosity in her wide eyes as usual. "Love. I guess anyway. I would hope it is two people who love each other and would do anything to keep the other happy. And children of course – most marriages have children."

Clara smiled softly. "If all marriages where like that the world would probably be a happier place." She sighed, then thought of another question. "Have you ever wanted an actual marriage?"

The Doctor looked even more startled than before, but a certainty that she was not asking what a part of him worried about let him continue to joke with her. "Why, are you asking Miss Oswald?"

Clara blushed, opening her mouth and closing it again twice before she thought of a reply. "N-no, no! You'd probably not even be able to sit through the ceremony your so impatient anyway."

"It sure sounded like you were asking." The Doctor teased further getting amused by her blushing and stuttering.

Clara, aware he was having fun at her expense, she decided to tease him in return. "Sounds like you want me to ask Doctor. If I had been asking what would you have said anyway?"

He stopped chuckling beside her and looked down in shock, seeing her staring back up at him with a grin he couldn't help but tap her nose with the side of his glass "Alright enough of that, we'll just tie ourselves up in questions."

"You started it." Clara hissed, catching sight of Madame Vastra and Jenny coming back inside from the outdoors – the lizard lady and her wife made a bee line for them, not missing how close the pair stood as they smiled softly, the Doctors arm draped loosely around Clara middle holding her to him.

"Everything is set for tonight Doctor" Jenny greeted in a low voice.

"Yes, Strax is waiting by the TARDIS." Madame Vastra added.

"I hope you told him not to try storm the doors. She can have quite a temper when she thinks I'm not looking." The Doctor turned to a window as if he could see where his precious box and the sontaran stood.

"Oh I'm sure he won't think of it, he was far more interested in hunting squirrels. Says they make good moving targets." Vastra assured him. "Anyway he's ready to move on our signal – have you got everything you need ready?"

"Of course" the Doctor patted his jacket pocked.

They all turned expectantly to Clara who just shrugged and like the day before lifted her skirt just high enough for them to see running shoes and a pair of trousers under the skirt. Jenny had let her borrow one of the skirts that could be easily ripped off so she could run with ease when she needed too.

"All se then" Vastra looked eager "We shall see you outside after dark then shall we?"

Thankfully it didn't rain. Clara had felt nervous that their entire plan practically hinged on the idea of it not raining – in the north east of England in November, which was pretty much one of the dampest places on planet earth. She caught herself thanking this god and the next while she crouched in her dark spot by the trees, well away from the water, the beginning trail of very dry pine branches at her feet and a box of matches in one hand.

The Doctor had inside she stay away from the main danger – she'd felt offended at first but there was no use arguing with a grumpy timelord so she settled for her role in their plan sitting by Vastra in the dark watching the Doctor and Jenny playing bait.

Vastra was awful quiet and frozen in that way reptiles could, Clara had to keep checking she was still beside her. the lizard lady did keep passing Clara a pair of night vision goggles the Doctor had let them borrow from the TARDIS however so she didn't feel too out of her depth in the dark.

"Something's moving." Vastra suddenly breathed, making Clara jump. "In the water, just behind them I swore I saw something."

"Should I give the first signal?"

"I think it's better to be safe than sorry."

Clara lit the first match on the second strike, waving it slowly up and down until the match burnt her finger and she blew it out. "Did they get it?"

Vastra paused to look through the goggles. "Yes, they're walking from the water and… yes it's following them!" she passed Clara the goggles long enough for her to see the beast that had been doing this.

It looked almost like a frog except for the long, long neck and the mouth full of blunt teeth and somehow managed to look worse than if they were sharp. Clara shuddered not enjoying the look of the thing and passed the goggles back to Vastra so she could concentrate on her part of the plan. She waited for Vastra's signal.

"Now Clara!" she yelled even though she was right beside her – she must have been more nervous than she thought. Clara struck a match – taking two turns because her hands where shaking – before the match lit and she threw it onto the dry branches which lit up faster than expected following the trail of branches around the lake and cutting the monster off from its home and hiding place. It let out a distressed wail of course when it tried to return to the water after realising something was wrong but was blocked by the wall of flame.

Clara saw the Doctor crouch a little way from the beast taking the little globe he'd gotten from the TARDIS out of his pocket he set it on the ground and began to sonic it – watching as the globe steadily grew bigger, the scene of a red sand beach and thick grey sea with curling waves was visible through the growing glass, but the beast hadn't seen it yet. It was too busy trying to get to the lake behind the flame.

Strax came out of the wood on one side of the beast waving flames, while Clara and Madame Vastra chose flaming branches of their own in an attempt to herd the beast from their side. It worked for the most part – Jenny got swept away by the beasts flailing tail and Clara saw and heard Vastra give a worried gasp in response but she never stopped waving the flame at the beast, in fact the lizard woman managed to move so she was between it and Jenny who seemed to be winded on the ground.

Clara mustn't have looked like much of a threat even brandishing two flaming pine branches because the beast eyed her before charging.

"'ey beastie!" the Doctors Scottish voice practically bellowed into the night, loud and demandingly ferocious enough to stop the beast running at Clara (or maybe it hesitated and turned at the last second, she'd blinked and missed it). But it caught its attention and it saw the little globe that had grown to be near the size of a house and showed the alien beach – a body of water free from flame that attracted the beast immediately. As the Doctor predicted, it charged right through the glass and once the tip of its tail had gone through the glass he stopped sonicing the globe and watched as it began to shrink in size rapidly again.

Thankfully in the time it took for the fire service to arrive, the globe was pocket size again and the five of them had just enough time to make themselves look innocent of the flames around the lake which were quickly put out.

The Doctor held up the globe, letting them all see the beach scene inside now complete with bone sucking monster.

"You never told me what that globe actually is." Clara said wrinkling her nose with distaste at the alien beast inside.

"Eh it's like a prison. More of a habitat." The Doctor shrugged. "They never became a bit thing – scientists still preferred to dissect animals rather than study them in an environment. They mostly get used for butterfly collecting and things."

"So it'd be like a snow globe with a live butterfly in it?" Clara smiled "that actually sounds pretty cool."

"Well this one has a slimly bone munching monster in it…"

"Yeah you can keep that one, not so pretty." Clara grinned.

The rest of the couples retreat group had come out to see what the commotion was. Their hosts. Heather and Stephen, stood closet to them, so Vastra flagged them down. "Sir, Ma'am we've very much enjoyed your retreat but we're going to leave early – this has all been rather much on us and London is calling."

Heather and Stephen looked affronted. "But you can't leave, you still have three days left. Think about how your marriage could benefit! We haven't even gotten to your obvious fear of removing your veil!"

Vastra gave an exasperated sigh and removed her veil right then, causing the two hosts to step back in shock. "Honestly, our marriage is perfectly fine. We just came for a – a holiday right dear?" she smiled at Jenny, who smiled back still rubbing her chest from being winded earlier.

"B-but what about those two?" Heather pointed at Clara and the Doctor. "They have more issues than any couple I've seen. Obvious secrets, arguing and a lack of intimacy they have more than enough reason to stay if they ever hope to be a successful couple! They haven't even held hands or kissed or anything – there's not even a wedding band on their fingers!"

Clara tried to open her mouth and admit they weren't even married. The Doctor however rolled his eyes as though tiered with all this – he was actually exhausted, not that anyone seemed to care as they continued arguing, he grabbed Clara suddenly and she squeaked in shock when he pressed a forceful but gentle kiss to her lips, lasting just long enough for her to relax a bit as he nipped at her bottom lip before pulling away to the silence of the crowd. He turned his eye on Heather and Stephen. "There, we kissed – our relationship if fine, we proved that enough for you? Thanks! Bye now."

He turned and began marching away, stopping only to all over his shoulder " Madame Vastra I suggest if you would like a ride back to London you hurry along – I'm very tiered and would like to get some rest, Clara can fly you home though- I've not slept in a week and would like an hour or two to myself!"

Clara was sure she was in far too much shock to fly anyone anywhere anytime soon, but she stumbled along after them anyway trying not to grin and touch her lips like a lovesick school girl.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Clara spent the next weekend alone at home. She didn't admit to the Doctor that she'd spent the majority of the weekend rushing to do all the thing she needed too so she could return to her apartment long before the dark – though she had a sneaking suspicion he probably already knew. She wouldn't lie either that a few funny phone calls she received had gotten her a little nervous too – they were just hang-up calls when she answered but when you're alone and it's dark…

When the TARDIS landed in her sitting room again Clara had been in the middle of reading 'The Fault in our Stars' again, she continued to read it as she sat in the Doctors favourite leather chair in the control room.

The Doctor had a frown on his face, hands clasped together behind his back as he paced back and forth. She knew he was about to say something – he was puzzling in his mind and he was either about to say something, probably something simple that frustrated him but made perfect sense to 'pudding brains' or he was about to pounce onto those chalk boards of his and spend the next few hours scribbling things down.

"Emotions don't make sense!" he suddenly declared.

Clara sighed, knowing she was in for a strange conversation, she held her book lower so she could see the Doctor's face and stared at him with her own frown. "I think emotions make perfect sense – for example my current emotion is confused because I don't understand why you suddenly decided emotions don't make sense."

The Doctor cast her an irritated glance. "Emotions are fickle" he said in way of explanation "and confusing."

Clara raised her eyebrow at his admission of emotions confusing him. "What got you thinking about this? What emotions are confusing you now?"

He waved a hand in her direction "That book!"

Clara looked down at the book "What about my book?"

He stopped pacing to look at her with a confused frown. "The first time you read that book you cried! You complained for an hour about how sad the book was! Now you're reading it again? Why would you put yourself through that kind of sadness again and yet look happy about it?"

"Because I enjoy the book?" Clara tried to explain.

"You enjoy that the story makes you sad?"

She thought about it. "I guess in a way yes. Don't you have a book that makes you sad but you enjoy reading it anyway?"

He hesitated, thinking. "Yes I suppose, but it still makes no sense."

Clara smiled "I don't think emotions are supposed to make sense. People are always doing things than make them sad, falling in love with the wrong things or wrong person and such."

"Don't get me started on love, that is the worst emotion of all" the Doctor scoffed.

Clara, who'd stood to stretch, used her book to hit the Doctor on the head as he search the book shelf beside her for something. "I don't believe that for a second!" she said as he turned to give her an irritated look and swiftly dodge the next tap to his head she'd been aiming for. "Love is the best emotion!"

"Hardly. It causes all rational thought to leave – it is a ridiculous emotion."

Clara smiled, staring at the book in her hands she decided to quote "You" she replaced rather than 'I' "fall in love in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow as he looked at her over his shoulder.

"I think you don't really get a choice if you fall in love with someone." Clara shrugged, not looking at him and preferring to concentrate on her pounding heart. Why was her heart even pounding? She tried to school her body, almost sure that the Doctor could hear the organ beating in her chest. "Even if it's going to hurt you or them." She continued.

The Doctor considered her, then quoted back at her "Love is an untameable force. When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused." He realised Clara was frowning at him, confused. "Paulo Coelho." He elaborated.

"Isn't he the one that wrote 'The Alchemist'?" Clara asked getting off topic for a second as she remembered the name.

The Doctor nodded with a slight smile. "Yes that's the one. I think his description of love is accurate – for an undefinable emotion anyway."

Clara smiled too, hers sad. "You sound like you've never been in love Doctor."

He didn't look at her, but she could see the side of his face and saw his expression as deeply sad. "Of course I've been in love Clara, it's been two thousand years. I've fallen in and out like you take breathes. But the emotions of each regeneration feel mostly just like memories to me so it's hard to really define what love feels like for even me, because it feels different in every regeneration."

Clara supposed this made sense. She sat back down in his chair, relaxed for just a moment before he continued talking. "Have you ever been in love Clara?"

Clara stared at him. "Yeah, I remember in college I met a boy I thought I was in love with… he didn't turn out to be very nice… and-" -_you_. Clara's mouth slammed shut before the last word could escape her mouth, amazed that she had even almost said it before she even knew it was true. But it was true wasn't it? She'd broken the first rule, probably a long time ago. **_Don't fall I love with the Doctor_**. _Too late_.

"And…" the Doctor waited, trying to prompt her to finish but when she didn't, he took a guess and finished for her "And Danny boy?"

Clara frowned for a second, she'd forgotten who he could be referring to in her sudden realization that she loved the Doctor. "Danny?" she remembered the sweet teacher "No not Danny!" she rushed.

The Doctor frowned.

"I mean… I loved Danny but I wasn't _in_ love with him…" Clara mumbled.

"So who was your 'and'?" the Doctor asked having looked back over his shoulder to study her as she sat in his chair. He didn't miss the way she fidgeted with her hands or a blush crept up her neck and flushed her cheeks.

She looked at him, her smile a little shaky and she smiled "You don't want to know Doctor – you wouldn't be interested."

The Doctor cast her a rueful smile. "If I didn't want to know I wouldn't have asked – but you're probably right that I would be interested. Probably some famous celebrity I've never heard of?"

Clara made an agreeing noise, hiding her troubled and embarrassed face behind her book again to try and pin point exactly when she had fallen in love with the Doctor…

Clara had promised to spend the weekend on the TARDIS – adventuring or not, the Doctor seemed to not mind her company, and when he seemed to be getting frustrated with his equations on the blackboards Clara left for her bedroom on the ship to do some marking and try forget the earlier revelation about her feelings.

She was in the middle of some rather questionable poetry essays when the mobile she normally forgot on the TARDIS buzzed. Thinking nothing of it she didn't immediately check, when she did and found a message from a blocked number she frowned, her frown deepened in concern at the message:

'_Where did you go pretty brown haired girl?_'

She sat back in her chair for a second. Was it worth replying to a prank text like that? She'd normally assume it was a wrong number and tell them so – but not everyone went to the effort of blocking their number, and what was the chances that it was meant for someone else with brown hair too? She dismissed the text, set to bury it at the back of her mind as she went back to marking the essays. It wasn't ten minutes later when the same number messaged her again:

_'Answer me Clara' _

A tendril of panic leapt into her heart, sending ice down her spine as fear caught her. Defiantly a message for her. Just as quickly as the fear, anger rose in Clara and against a better judgment telling her not to answer Clara texted back:

'_Whoever this is, leave me alone_.'

Of course a few minutes later they texted back, obviously angry with her reply:

'_No. You are MINE_.'

Clara sat in her chair holding the phone, anger slowly giving away to fear again as she bit her lip the marking on the desk in her room forgotten. She was about to think of something to reply with when the Doctor cleared his throat at the doorway of her room. She looked at him expectantly.

"Birth of a new star about to happen outside the TARDIS doors. Thought that might be something you're interested in."

Clara gave him the biggest smile she could muster right then "Of course, I'll be right there."

He gave a slight smile, turned to leave and paused to look over his shoulder at her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

In a heartbeat Clara made the split decision to lie. There was no point worrying the Doctor over nothing. "Yeah I'm fine." She smiled and stood to follow him to the control room – leaving her phone on the desk in her room.

The Doctor sat beside his petite companion, the pair of them watching the beauty that was a newly formed star as they hung their legs out of the TARDIS doors completely protected by her shields. Well they were supposed to be watching the star – the Doctor found his eyes drawn to Clara. She was doing it again, the impossible thing where her face showed too many emotions to be possible. Her eyes where sad, frightened even, but her mouth was smiling – confusing.

He shuffled, uncomfortable with the information he was about to give her. The movement drew Clara's attention of course.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly – something about deep space said she needed to be quiet. "You only shuffle like that when there's something wrong."

"I-"he took a deep breath "I have to go do something, without you, and I don't know how long I'll be gone."

Clara frowned beside him – though even her most angry frown couldn't rival his miniature one. "I understand there are some thing you need to do without me you know? Though I'm glad you decided to warn me there might be quite a time gap this time."

The Doctor glanced down at her, surprised. "Are you sure? With everything that's happened lately… and I know your still not feeling too safe…"

Clara's thoughts went back to the brief text conversation. "I'll be fine." She said with uncertainty in her voice – despite trying to keep it out. She decided to change conversation topic when the Doctor's full attention bared down on her at the tone of her voice, concern evident in his scowl. "What's so top secret that you can't bring me with you?"

"More like dangerous" the Doctor replied, his full attention was still on her. "I noticed a slight tear in the time vortex a few days ago – I thought it would repair itself like they usually do however it's just gotten bigger. I need to go repair it before time starts to rearrange itself – sometimes the odd beastie can come through the rip and it's not something a human time traveller can deal with. In fact it would just make you a tasty snack with all that time energy on you."

"Oh and what about you?" Clara nudged him playfully. "Are you about to bring up the 'my-species-is-better-than-your-species' argument again?"

The Doctor snorted, nudged her back and gave a slight smile. "Alright, not all humans are so bad." He said.

"Oh?"

"J.K Rowling was pretty great. Shakespeare too – and Charles Dickens." He teased.

Clara gave him a rueful smile and shoved him playfully. "Shows what it takes to impress you!" she laughed and continued sarcastically "Do I need to publish some fantastic novels before you'll admit I'm not a pudding brain because saving your life thousands of times apparently didn't work!"

The Doctor caught her arm when she shoved him playfully, holding her quite close he stared down at her. "Oh no" he said quietly "You defiantly caught my attention, impossible girl."

The Doctor dropped Clara off outside her building, in the middle of the day. Their goodbye was somewhat stretched – both knowing they would see each other again probably soon, yet neither wanted to actually leave the other in the first place knowing they didn't exactly know when they'd see each other. Eventually the TARDIS doors clicked shut and Clara watched the time machine fade away, the familiar sound of the engines wheezing and sending a light breeze over her still making her heart pound with hope.

Her elderly neighbour, Mrs Brown, didn't even notice the fading space ship and waved a greeting at Clara as she walked into the building – Mrs Browns little white terrier yapped at her heel until she bent down to pet him on the head twice.

"Morning Clara" Mrs Brown smiled.

"Morning Mrs Brown" Clara replied.

"You been out with that young man of yours all night?" Mrs Brown gave her a knowing smile.

Clara laughed a little "No, I don't have a young man at the moment Mrs Brown."

The older lady gave her a funny look. "What about that young one that comes knocking on your door?"

Clara hesitated at the buildings entrance. "What young man?"

"The big one, brown hair?" Mrs Brown was looking a little spooked now as Clara's expression remained confused. "He must come by every night love are your sure you don't know him?"

"I don't know any big blokes with brown hair…" Clara mumbled, said goodbye to her elderly neighbour and practically ran up the stairs to her floor. Before she came out of the stair well she looked up and down her corridor before she approached her won front door, key already in hand.

Nothing in her apartment looked out of place – maybe a bit more dusty than usual since the Doctor hadn't given her time to clean up before whisking her away on Monday morning. It took her a little while of cleaning before she noticed her answering machine was blinking full.

Clara hesitated before playing the messages, listening to them while she did the dishes. The first three where from her dad asking what she was going to be doing for Christmas that year – would it be at her apartment or his house? Eventually without her input the family decided it would be at Clara's again, despite last years naked Doctor incident. The fourth was odd and made Clara pause.

It was a computer input voice that much she knew. 'How-are-you-Clara?'

The second voicemail was from the same techno voice. 'Christmas-at-your-place-Clara. Will-you-invite-me?'

The third. 'Answer-me-Clara. NOW.'

Clara stopped the answering machine there getting soapy water all over the machine as she neglected to dry her hands first. She had that icy chill of fear going down her spine again, hair raised on the back of her neck as she stared at the answering machine with a growing nervous fear.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

The Doctor finished wrapping his ribs in bandage and stretched making sure the bandage held, despite it being tight enough to make him strain to breathe, he lent to his left and right just to be sure and despite wincing from the pain was pleased the bandaged held. He replaced his shirt, thought about getting some sleep, and decided instead that he should go see Clara first.

He'd missed his companion in the time they had been apart. For him it had been quite a while – he'd lost count while fighting against some burning tentacled sun-like creature that had decided the yummy energy coming from the rip in the vortex was worth going against the timelord – and he had no idea how long it had been for Clara until he landed, but he ached to hear her voice even if she was yelling at him for being gone for so long, and see her wide brown eyes that could show a different emotion to the rest of her. He felt a little buzz at the idea of seeing her again, but quelled the emotion as he walked to corridors to the control room.

An odd buzzing noise stopped the Doctor in his tracks as he walked past what was usually Clara's closed bedroom door – but was now open and clearly showed the little white mobile phone, vibrating on the desk. She must have forgotten it last time – she'd probably be in a right pickle without it, she had so many alarms and notifications on the damn thing.

The Doctor entered the room, normally feeling self-conscious about entering her bedroom but without her there felt normal, he picked up the phone expecting to see another alarm or notification but instead saw an incoming phone call from a number known simply as 'blocked'.

It might be considered a terrible invasion of her privacy if he answered. Then again, she had left the phone in his ship – and he didn't know how much time would have passed between this phone call and when he got the phone back to her. With a shrug, he answered.

"Hello, Clara's phone?"

Heavy breathing on the other line, the sound of typing and then an electronic voice that sounded a little too high pitched to the Doctors ears answered "You-are-not-Clara. Where-is-Clara?"

The Doctor frowned, uncertain he should even reply. "No I'm not Clara, how clever of you to notice." He replied instead, something causing him to growl and lash out. "She left her phone at my… home by accident."

The Doctor heard typing again before the reply. "Stay-away-from-Clara. She-is-MINE." The last word was spat harshly by the typist as well as spoken by the computer – defiantly a male speaker.

The Doctor tightened his grip on the phone, anger bubbled in him, he leant on the console and gave a harsh barking laugh as he growled down the phone "She was mine long before you set eyes on her. And I'm not about to give her up – you come near Clara Oswald, and you're going to be dealing with me."

Whoever was on the other end of the phone hung up without another word – but the rage in the Doctor was just beginning. Who would dare lay claim to _his_ impossible girl?

Another voice in his mind surged up causing the Doctors anger to pause, did he have any right to call Clara his anyway?

Of course he did! She was his best friend in the whole universe, the girl who jumped into his time stream to save him, they saved each other constantly as they ran around the galaxies saving planets and species! She was the girl that stopped him making the decision he regretted for hundreds of years, the girl that encouraged him to find another way to save his home rather than destroy it – she was the reason _Two point four seven billion children did not die_. Clara was his – and yet he wasn't stupid enough to deny the fact that he was hers in return.

Yes, the Doctor smiled to himself as he slammed a lever down intending to see _his_ impossible girl right then.

The Doctor landed in Clara's sitting room. At first he didn't notice anything wrong as he stepped out of the TARDIS into her tidy apartment. The sitting room was the same as it always had been – maybe a new sweater was draped to dry over the radiator but other than that nothing seemed to have changed, which didn't explain the sudden feeling that something was wrong in the pit of his stomach that had been planted with the phone call earlier and just grew now.

Then he noticed – it was dark. Not night time dark – he checked his watch suddenly concerned he had accidentally landed late at night or early morning – but dark as in Clara had pulled shut all the blinds of her windows, even the kitchen ones, and pulled dark curtains over her balcony doors that usually had nothing covering them.

A little confused the Doctor pulled one of the blinds up, but there was nothing outside on the window that could give any answers to why Clara had blocked out the world from her flat – or as to why Clara herself had not come when she heard the TARDIS engines. The Doctor tried to open the window, wanting to test the air in case he missed something, but found the window itself had been nailed shut from the inside. Odd.

Confused and seeking answers the Doctor turned slowly on one heel looking for any sights of his impossible girl – and found the bedroom door slightly ajar. Quietly creeping – not wanting to wake her if she was home and asleep after she'd hit him with several pillows when his last self had done that – he peeked around the door and found her bed empty.

A soft noise drew his attention to the armchair behind the door – one that used to be kept in the other corner. Clara stirred slightly in what must have been a very light sleep, he big brown eyes blinked open over the blanket she was curled under. She looked scared and confused at first before her eyes focused on him and she blinked again.

"That doesn't look comfortable." He said – but the words had barely left his mouth before Clara had suddenly jumped up and threw her arms around his middle. He gave a soft noise of pain from his bandaged ribs and gingerly patted her on the back. "Clara, is something wrong?"

She tightened her hold on him briefly, he let out an actual squeak of pain this time and she abruptly let go – and he saw tears in her eyes. They spoke at the same time:

"I'm sorry, are you hurt?"

"You're crying, how long was I gone?"

They both blinked at the other's questions, and smiled softly at the other. The Doctor hooked his arm around her shoulder before she could speak again and said almost sternly "I'm fine, just got a bit of a burn from a sun that had tentacles – told you these rips in the vortex could attract some horrible things which is why I didn't let you come." He shrugged leading her into the sitting room – he watched as she suddenly shrugged off his arm to move quickly across the room and pull the blind back across the window he'd revealed. "Now – how about I make some tea and you explain to me what happened while I've been gone since this is obviously not normal."

She gave him a sheepish smile as she stood by the kitchen table, watching him sort through her kitchen to make tea. "So how long was I gone?" the Doctor asked working his way up to asking about her curtains and the phone call he answered for her on the TARDIS.

"Two months." Clara mumbled.

He sighed at that, glancing at her. "It could have been longer. Last time I was absent at least a year."

"You could have told me that before you left, what if it had been that long this time?" she frowned deeply, but a sigh escaped her as she looked away embarrassed. "I missed you."

Clara sighed again and almost missed his reply. "I missed you too…" he barely whispered it.

Clara hugged him again – from behind this time- careful of the ribs he'd damaged. She was even more surprised that he didn't tense at her touch, or try remove her. In fact she could swear he sighed at her touch as he poured hot water into the mugs of tea.

"So are you going to explain the curtains? Also you left your phone on the TARDIS – I ended up having a very… odd phone call with someone." He felt her tense at his back, wanting to turn and hug her back but wanting the truth from her more.

There was a little silence, her face buried in his back still, before she replied. "Someone's been watching me."

Now the Doctor turned, and she released him looking up into his glowering face. "Any idea who?"

Clara shook her head, bit her lip and wrung her hands in worry and nerves. "No. My neighbours have seen him – they described him but it doesn't sound like anyone I know. I haven't seen him at all. But he calls and… started leaving little gifts on my balcony…"

The Doctor held his hands behind his back so she couldn't see the tightening of his fists – his own blunt nails cutting into the palms of his hands, though she was probably aware of the rest of him tensing. "Gifts?" he bit out.

Clara nodded, moving past him to take something from the top of her microwave. "It started with flowers – dead ones. Then my upstairs neighbour's cat with his throat slashed and then… "Her hand shook when she held out the items to the Doctor, who took them aware of the fear in her eyes.

They were photos of Clara. On the back of some photo's he read the lurid ideas this stalker had that he would like to enact on Clara. The content of the photo's itself where more disturbing – they started innocent enough, photos of her in the supermarket or coming in and out of the school where she worked almost like surveillance photos. Then they became more personal – Clara with her step mother and dad at a family wedding. Clara baking soufflés in her kitchen. The final was possibly the most disturbing – Clara in her bed, asleep. And it was not a distance photo either, this would have been taken from inside the flat, the bedroom, itself. The Doctor fisted the photo up in his hand before throwing it onto the kitchen side and looking at Clara.

"You've called the police I assume?"

"They say there's nothing they can do unless he actually hurts me. My landlord was threatening to kick me out after what happened to the neighbour's cat, but all my neighbours vouched for me – even the one who owned the cat." Clara knew her anger had suddenly got the best of her as she launched into her rant – but nothing could stop her, she liked the cathartic feel of finally venting her frustration. "They told me to keep a diary! I'm scared, hell I'm more than scared I'm petrified to leave my flat or even open my curtains!"

Clara was more than surprised when she was suddenly pulled flush against the Doctors chest as he held her, both of them all too aware of her body shaking in both fear and rage as well as the tightness of the Doctors body from anger. While in his arms, feeling safe for the first time in weeks, Clara explained the phone calls too and that the neighbour's and seen the man hanging around the hallway.

"He called your mobile. You left it on the TARDIS." The Doctor said once she had explained everything.

"Y-you spoke to him?" she moved her head briefly to look up, but he was staring straight ahead.

"Yes. He threatened me."

He felt Clara's grip on his loosen a fraction, and finally looked down to frown at her tightening his own grip on her and watched her expression turn to a surprised one. "Don't you dare try to protect me this time Clara Oswald – you've died far too many times for me." He growled at her. "This idiot has chosen to mess with my impossible girl – we'll he's got another thing coming if he thinks messing with the last of the Timelord's."

Clara smiled a fraction, a small one but it was enough to lift all three of their hearts. "The oncoming storm about to bring down the wrath eh?" she teased lighting. "And you know you're not the last anymore-"

"The last who is not lost someone" he amended with a roll of his eyes. "So impossible girl. I say you have three options."

"And they are?" she hooked an eyebrow at him.

"Well the first is that you can continue as you are, and we can go on our adventures on Wednesdays again and I will insist on walking you too and from work again. Actually I'll insist on taking you there in the TARDIS because I couldn't resist confusing and irritating a stalker who doesn't see you leave or enter the flat at all."

Clara was already shaking her head no at that point. "No I can't keep like this Doctor I'm… my life is disappearing!"

He started rubbing up and down her arms "Shh, impossible girl I still have two suggestions. Second one is that you can drop this life, you can come away with me in the TARDIS full time, just pack up your life amend your affairs and disappear – he'll never find you amongst all the stars."

She actually looked like she was considering it, staring away from the Doctor and at the TARDIS parked in the corner of the room her blue pain and soft glow almost a shield itself against the darkness, but then Clara thought of her family – her dad and grandmother and even Linda, she couldn't just leave them. She eventually shook her head no.

"Then that leave's my third plan. You are going to carry on like normal – no don't look at me like that – you are, you are going take down these curtains, except that one let's keep the TARDIS out of sight, and I am going to stay with you until this bastard leaves you alone because no one messes with my impossible girl. I'll be your constant companion, he wouldn't touch a single hair on your head Clara, I swear!"

Clara was eyeing him, but her expression was trusting – dare he say loving? – and he could see this plan was the one she would do, whether it scared her to the bone or not. "You promise you won't leave me?" she asked with suspicion.

"I don't care if I have to take up that abysmal caretaker's job again, I won't leave your side. Not this time Clara, I swear." He moved his hands up to her face, rubbing his thumbs on her soft cheeks and placing a kiss on her forehead – the same way his eleventh face used too.

Clara breathed a sigh of relief at that, the comforting familiar touches he'd been so careful about giving since his regeneration, and smiled again. "What are you going to do if he comes after us, or you?"

The Doctor gave her a full toothed grin just then, almost a feral expression on his face. "I'll _dissuade_ him."

"What if you can't dissuade him?"

"Ill punch him the face." The Doctor shrugged "I haven't punched anyone in the face with these hands yet – might be interesting."

"Or you might break something." Clara couldn't help but tease.

He tapped her head "Cheeky, and when I'm offering you all my protection! Now come on, it's about time you took down these curtains and blinds!"

She hesitated, he saw it, but eventually came over to help him take down the balcony door curtains.

"Doctor?"

"Yeah?" he looked at her under his arm.

"Can you tell me about this sun with tentacles that attacked you?" she gave him a slight glance. "It might take my mind off things."

He gave her a soft smile. "Sure."


	9. Chapter 9

_Realised while writing this that I love writing a protective twelve - he suits making threats quite well with those eyebrows. Those eyebrows are threats of their own ;) _

**Chapter Nine**

The Doctor slept on the couch.

Okay slept was stretching it – he catnapped on the couch, never quite falling unconscious and keeping an ear out for the doors and windows of Clara's flat. He'd insisted they un-nailed the windows, she hadn't been too happy with that and despite making sure everything was locked she still put little stacks of glasses in front of the doors so they'd shatter if anyone entered.

He'd had to insist she went to bed at eleven, she was so worn-out and had work the next day – though he was almost tempted to persuade her into calling in sick, but was reluctant to do so since getting her back into a routine was probably best.

The mobile he'd brought back from the TARDIS rang, vibrating since he put it on silent so the call wouldn't wake her. He'd unplugged the landline, mostly to frustrate the stalker and also to direct the call straight to him. His eyes flashed open, he sat up taking his time in stretching under the assumption the stalker would be watching from the uncovered windows. He eventually answered with a smirk. "Hello?"

The techno voice had been abandoned for a male voice of venom and hatred. "Who are you and what are you doing in her home?"

The smirk increased as the Doctor stood, standing in front of the windows almost as if he was trying to dare the stalker to come and get him. "I am the Doctor, and I am what is standing between you and her. If you were smart you'd be afraid."

Harsh laugher on the other end. "What do I have to be afraid of an old man? I could snap you."

"If I had a penny for everyone who assumed that I'd be a very rich man." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Like I said, you'd only be afraid if you were _smart_."

"_Stay away_ from her if you know what's good for you old man" the voice snarled.

"_No_" the Doctor's voice echoed with thunder. "I will not stay away from my Clara because she _mine_, and I will not let you or any other psychopath take her away from me ever again! If you want her you'll have to get through me, and trust me many more enemies stronger and cleverer and deadlier than you have tried to go through me before and guess what, _I'm still here_. You will stay away from Clara Oswald if you know what's good for you!" and he hung up, leaning and arm on the glass of the door and resting his head on it to look out onto the darkness of London night time, somehow still alive with little specks of light and movement besides it being the dead of night.

He heard a door creak behind him, and the softest rustle of fabric.

"Was that him on the phone?" Clara's voice was meek, a whisper, full of a deep huskiness that was a result from just waking up.

The Doctor looked up to glance at her briefly, surprise evident, before he turned away. He'd never seen Clara in her night dress before – or at least not one this short. Usually she was in those while satin pyjama's she favoured so much. "Yes" he said trying to focus his attention outside.

He hear her approach, bare feet brushing softly on the carpet until she stood halfway between beside him and behind him always keeping him between her and the window. "I don't want you to get hurt for me you know."

The Doctor smirked, able to see her reflection in the glass. "You once said I don't get a say about the hugging. Well now you don't get a say about how far I go to protect you."

There was a pause between them, broken only by the noise of the city outside. "How far _would_ you go?" Clara asked. "Because there is such a thing as too far…"

He hesitated. The things he was willing to do to protect the tiny woman he'd come to care for so greatly sometimes scared him, but he wasn't willing to tell her the extent of his affections so instead replied "I know what you consider too far Clara, I won't over step your boundaries." He saw her reflection give him a suspicious look, but she nodded and continued to stare out of the window. "You should probably go back to bed. If he could see me here, he can almost defiantly see you – and since you're the one he wants I'm very keen to deprive him of that."

Clara hesitated as the Doctor turned around finally, guiding her back to her room. "Doesn't that just make a stalker more violent?" she worried.

"Usually." The Doctor wore a vicious grin as he led her to her room, apparently keen to sit in the armchair of her room while she was in the bed. "I'm counting on him coming out so we can see exactly who he is – don't worry Clara, I won't let anyone hurt you. We discussed this already, if you suspect your unsafe just get in the TARDIS – and entire Dalek fleet couldn't get past those doors."

She sighed, pulling her blanket further up to her chin as she lay in the bed and shut her eyes. "Maybe it would have been easier to have just ran away with you…"

"Nah" the Doctor smiled to himself. "You've always been far too brave for running away."

Clara made a disbelieving noise. "Why are you in here? Its creepy to think you're watching me sleep – and I thought you wanted to be in visible view to rub it in the stalkers face that you're here with me and he isn't?"

"Because imagine what is going through his jealous mind when he saw me disappear into your bedroom with you. I'm goading him Clara."

A blush crept up her cheeks, and despite nothing happening between them at all her heart pounded just a fraction more than usual. "Oh" she bit her lip, eyes still closed. She was startled when she felt a kiss feather her forehead and opened her eyes to find the Doctor crouched by her head. She hadn't even heard him move.

"Try not to worry Clara, I won't let anything happen to you." He whispered, pressing a single finger to her forehead and sending her to sleep.

Danny Pink for once seemed relieved to see the Doctor's intimidating figure stalking beside Clara in the halls of the school the next morning like an overprotective shadow. Enough that he stopped to say hello to both of them outside of Clara's classroom – and hang around after she entered to talk to the Doctor.

"So you back?" Danny asked, voice quiet so it didn't carry to the English teacher unpacking homework from her bag.

"I didn't mean to be away so long." The Doctor amended – he wasn't overly sure how to handle Danny, what with the breakup argument he overheard clearly stating the teacher was jealous of his relationship with Clara no matter how friendly he still was with Clara.

"I figured. She told you about this stalker right?"

"Yes. I'm working on making the problem go away." The Doctor suddenly eyed him suspiciously.

Danny didn't falter under the Doctors gaze, he understood why anyone close to Clara could be seen as a suspect – he'd considered the Doctor as a suspect for a stalker himself for a short while, but dismissed it since the Doctor pretty much had the English teacher to himself these days. "I was looking into it too. I'm worried it could have something to do with her attack a few months ago?"

The Doctor frowned – not at Danny's suggestion for once, but more because he hadn't thought to connect the two incident's himself. "You might be on to something there P.E – I mean maths…" he muttered, nodding to the other man as he passed by him into the classroom where Clara was now watching from her chair with narrowed eyes.

"Where you just being civil to Danny?" she asked suspiciously. "Since when did that happen?"

"Since he brought up a very good point – could your stalking have anything to do with your attack?"

Clara looked stunned, then thoughtful, then horrified all within the matter of minutes – but couldn't say anything to the Doctor as the school bell rang and students began to pile into her classroom – some of them like Courtney greeted the Doctors presence in their classroom again having become quite accustom to him. She did however give him a single firm nod and meaningful glare before she turned back to address her class and left him to find his own place close by – the school faculty had all become accustom to Clara's mysterious Doctor and where a little pleased that he would be around to guard the young teacher.

Except rather than find something to fiddle with –probably in the janitor's shed where all the abandoned stuff was – the Doctor pulled up a chair in the corner of the class room and just watched almost silently (because he couldn't refrain from correcting Clara at least once or twice on her historical facts until Clara silence him with a glare and chucked a balled up post-it-note at him).

At break Clara had to attend a teacher's meeting – the Doctor waited outside – so they weren't able to talk to each other much again until lunch when they sat in her classroom with a bag of chips he'd fetched from the chip shop on the corner leaving Danny to keep an eye on Clara for a few minutes.

"So…" the Doctor said, enjoying the chips – apparently this body's mouth's favourite food – "You agree that it could have something to do with your attack?"

Clara slowed her chewing on the chip in her mouth so she'd have time to compose herself before replying. "Yes. More than a coincidence actually – I didn't think about it until you're mentioned it, but… the guy who attacked me looks exactly like the man my neighbours described."

The Doctor stopped eating then, the chips tasting bitter in his mouth suddenly. The little plastic fork in his fingers snapped with the tension in his hand suddenly – the plastic crack drawing Clara's eyes to him suddenly.

"Are you okay?"

"Just angry Clara, not at you of course." he mumbled. "Can you tell me anything about this guy who attacked you? He obviously knows you didn't recognise him at first – we might be able to throw him off just a little with some information you do remember."

Clara pushed the bag of chips away from herself suddenly feeling queasy as she remembered the attack, her mind had done such a good job blocking the memories they almost felt like a vividly violent movie of someone else's life in her mind. "He overpowered me…" she whispered, eyes glazed with the memory and her voice a ghost.

"Clara!" the Doctors voice was sharp, snapping her out of her recollections. "Clara don't focus on that… focus on the details, hard facts that don't require feeling. Think like I think."

She frowned at him. "Is that really how you think? Without feeling?"

"Yes – it makes it easier to rationalize things. I no longer make mistakes regarding others because of my feelings you see?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Trust me you make a _lot_ of mistakes. How many times have we nearly been killed because you offended some hostile race?"

"Clara stop switching topics" he gave her an irritated huff. "Think about that night – the facts only."

It took her a little thinking, a few deep breathes, a lot of wracking her brains. But when she met the Doctors blue eyes again she said "His name was Ethan – I don't remember a surname. But that's all I can remember… we- I had a few drinks…"

"I know, don't apologise a name is enough to throw him hopefully." He gave her a stern look, pushing the chips back to her "Eat – I refuse to run around after a twig of a girl."

"Like you can talk, you look like a stick insect – a grey stick insect!" Clara rolled her eyes, but almost obediently ate a chip.

The Doctor self-consciously touched his hair, still unsure about being grey – he'd had preferred ginger not that he would admit it. Thirteen regenerations and not one of them ginger, he was starting to lose hope. "I'm still not sure about the grey…" he admitted softly, not sure what compelled him to tell her that.

"I like it." Clara shrugged, deliberately not looking at him as his head snapped up to watch her. "It's not really grey anyway- more silver. I like silver, it's the only kind of medal I've ever gotten. And it's prettier than gold."

"So you're saying my hair is pretty?"

"It's a compliment, just take it and don't analyse it – actually why don't you just feel it instead of question it?" she gave him a glare – but it wasn't an angry one. Before he could reply, she'd continued talking. "School breaks up for Christmas this week. Are you going to stay with me for Christmas dinner again because if you are I request, actually I insist, that you come wearing actual clothes this time."

"I – ah…" he hesitated.

"And if you dare think about holographic clothes I will not hesitate to physically dress you myself." She added for good measure, not quelled by the sudden hooked eyebrow look he gave her.

"Do you want me at your Christmas dinner?" he asked.

"Of course – you'd just be lonely otherwise!" she frowned at him as if he was stupid for asking. "You're supposed to be with friends and family for Christmas – and… well I consider you both a friend and family."

"I… you do?"

Clara this time hesitated, feeling awkward. "Well, I think we crossed the 'just friends' line when I jumped into your time stream and ripped myself apart to save your other selves. And I'm far closer to you than Linda…" she tried to joke.

The Doctor tried to joke back. "Alright, if we're not 'just friends' then what are we?"

Clara looked stumped. "No idea, I don't think there is a classification for people who care a lot about the other and would probably do just about anything for the other." _Of course there is, it's called love you idiot!_ – Clara's inner monologue was cussing her out as she lied blindly to the Doctor.

"Of course there is. We just haven't found the right label yet." The Doctor shrugged, his hearts pounding for some reason he wasn't willing to think about.

Oddly by Friday they had not heard from Clara's stalker since the Doctor threatened him on the phone – though neither of them where lulled into a sense of false security, the pair of them where more than used to the calm before the storm. Not that this stopped them enjoying themselves out in the deep snow that had fallen over the lunch break on the last day with the rest of Clara's class.

The Doctor had just spotted Clara lying down in the snow having been taken out by Courtney Woods in a snowball fight – where she had fallen she'd decided to make a snow angel.

"Clara." His voice sounded tight and angry, to his cleared his throat to try get rid of the emotion.

Still the tone panicked Clara enough to make her sit up with wide eyes. "Doctor, what's the matter?"

"I… can you stand up? Seeing you lay in all this snow doesn't quite bring me fond memories." He admitted looking anywhere but at her.

She looked confused at first, then a sudden dawning on her face as she stood using him as a crutch to pull herself up and brush the snow off her back. "One of my echoes?"

"Indeed." He confirmed, a hand sliding up and down her back of its own accord to help clear the snow that wasn't there.

Courtney suddenly reappeared beside them, giving them a knowing look full of attitude, she held out a thick brown envelope. "Miss, some guy at the gate asked Amber to give this to you – but thought I better bring it on account of your stalker guy since it could be dangerous."

"Courtney!" Clara hissed – the girl was too bright for her own good and had figured out Clara's problem about a month after it started. She took the envelope from Courtney anyway and gave the girl a stern look "What if this _had_ been dangerous?"

Courtney just shrugged as she turned away with the rest of the students to the gates that where now being unlocked so the students could go home. "Better me than Amber." She called back.

Clara was just staring at her student, trying her best to ignore the heavy envelope in her hands. "I will never understand that girl…" she muttered before turning to the Doctor, whose eyes never left the envelope.

In fact he plucked it from her loose grip swiftly. "Think I better open this. I highly doubt it's been laced with anything harmful but just in case I'm more likely to be unaffected then you are."

"It'd make you sick though! You told me about this resistance to toxins and such before – I'd rather you weren't knocked out recovering."

"And I'd rather you weren't dead." He retorted, opening the envelope without any further argument. He frowned at the envelopes contents, pulling out a frames photo he recognised and was reluctant to show to Clara.

Of course he did, her reaction was as expected – horrified rage filled her face as she got a white knuckle grip on her photo – a photo of her dad, herself and her gran at her graduation. Clara had been centred in the photo of her graduation, but in the photo her eyes had been scratched out and the photo itself had harsh terms written over it – descriptions of exactly what someone wanted to do to her that where far less than friendly. That of course was the least of her concerns as she started to walk back to her flat – the Doctor trailing just behind her.

"Clara?"

"He's been _in my house_." Her voice shook – with fear or rage she had no idea, both emotions seemed to be battling it out.

"Clara…"

"Don't Clara me, he's been _in my bloody house_!" she practically snarled at the Doctor.

"I understand that, but please…" he grabbed her arm, pulling her back flush against him and holding her there before she could turn away from him. "Clara look at me." He waited until her big brown eyes had turned up to his blue ones. "I know your angry Clara, trust me I'm far more than furious right now myself, but you still have to be careful and storming in there half assed is not going to do any favours if he's still waiting there for you."

She frowned. "Why not, we usually do it."

"Usually we go up against aliens that are quite ready to _kill us_ – _not_ sexually assault _you._" He pointed out, grip on her arms tightening. "I'm not friendly about anyone killing you but I'm sure as hell not going to let anyone else touch my impossible girl."

That caught her attention. While he'd been talking Clara had been taking deep breathes to calm her nerves and anger – enough that she caught the Doctors phrasing enough to teasing a little. "Anyone _else_ touch me, Doctor?" she said with a smirk looking at him through her eyelashes.

He blushed lightly, looking flustered. "I- Clara! This is no time to be doing… that! Flirting! Your stalker just broke into your home and threatened you, I think you should focus on that!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Clara insisted they stop in at the local police station to drop off the photograph as evidence her stalker had broken into her home. They still claimed there was little they could do about it until he hurt her – though they did say they could get prints from the photo (hopefully) and offered to send someone around to check her apartment. The Doctor had rolled his eyes at their lack of helpfulness and rebutted their offer knowing any damages he could fix far faster than any policeman or door smith.

When they got to the apartment Clara's door lock had obviously been picked, there where scratches all over the lock and part of a pin was still stuck in the key hole. The Doctor entered first, treading cautiously, he moved into the sitting room first. "Get to the TARDIS – shut the door if I tell you too." he told Clara in a voice that brook no argument and for once she did as she was told, feeling safer than ever as she stood on the threshold of the ship – the TARDIS hummed all most in welcome and protection.

She watched the Doctor move around her flat checking every nook and cranny holding his sonic screwdriver like a weapon. Eventually he nodded, letting her know whoever had been here was defiantly gone. He snorted though in the sinister silence. "He obviously did it to scare you. I checked for cameras and microphone and any secret hidey holes but there was nothing."

"Scare me? Well it bloody worked…" she muttered throwing herself onto her couch in a home that no longer felt like _hers_. "I can't relax. I feel like… like it's not _my_ apartment anymore you know?"

"An obvious side effect of having your territory invaded. Unfortunately humans don't have the simplicity of rubbing scent glands all around their homes to make it their territory again… sometimes I wish you were like cats." The Doctor replied, setting his screwdriver onto Clara's front door in an attempt to fix the lock.

"Wish I was a cat too right now." Clara replied, then frowned – she was spending far too much time with the Doctor to suddenly dislike her own species. "What was with holding your screwdriver out anyway? What where you going to do if he had been here? Build him a bookshelf?"

The Doctor cast her an irritated glance. "I was going to scramble his neurons giving me enough time to shove you into the TARDIS."

"I was already in the TARDIS!"

"Yes but it's you, you'd have come rushing to help me as soon as you knew the attacked was here." He rolled his eyes.

Clara shrugged turning away from him leaning her head back on the couch and closing her eyes in an effort to relax. "I blew into this world on a leaf to save you, that didn't stop just because some psycho decided to become obsessed with me."

She wasn't aware the sonic screwdriver had stopped buzzing until the Doctors hands landed on her shoulders heavily. She opened her eyes immediately, the scary though that it was someone else for a second, but found him looking down at her with a gentle almost curious expression. "What did I do to deserve my impossible girl?" he frowned, as gentle a frown as those eyebrows would allow she mused, but stared down at her like she could give him a satisfactory answer.

She tried to answer anyway, reaching up to put her hands over the ones he had placed on her shoulders running her finger tips over his rougher skin. "You where you, the Doctor."

He frowned as though that didn't in any way answer his ponderings – but he didn't say anything so Clara decided to change the conversation topic. "It's Christmas next week."

"So it is."

"I haven't decorated. Haven't had the time – do you think I should?"

He frowned a proper frown this time. "I don't even remember the last time I decorated for the holiday. My Christmas's always turn out a bit… messy. Are you sure you want me around your family?"

"Of course. Just don't turn up naked."

"So I'm allowed to turn up to any other dinner naked, just not Christmas dinner?" he teased.

Clara shrugged, patted his hand on her shoulder with her own and said "Knock yourself out. But only if you want me to turn up naked too."

They both frowned at her reply.

"Anyway, Christmas decorations? You know I think I have a few in the TARDIS somewhere?" he straightened, hands leaving her shoulders reluctantly. "Not sure what room – hopefully she'll help me find it pretty quick. I'll leave the door open if anything happens… scream like hell and run into the ship."

"I only scream on special occasions – but I'll yell." Clara winked, enjoying the blush that flushed his cheeks as he disappeared into his ship after gaping at her for a second unable to think of a comeback. When he'd vanished into the TARDIS, Clara hid her embarrassed face in her hands. Why was she suddenly unable to stop flirting with the Doctor?

_Because he's opened up_. Her inner voice replied. _He's no longer cold and distant and keeping you at arm's length – even if he won't admit it he's shown you he cares for you just as much as you care for him_.

Clara was still musing this train of thoughts when she began to rearrange her furniture to make room for a Christmas tree. With the TARDIS around it was difficult to manoeuvre – it was a good job the Doctor was so skinny because the couch was practically pressed against the door. It was while she was tidying up just a fraction that she realised why the TARDIS had practically become a part of her apartment.

Evidence of the Doctor was littered everywhere. From his books filling her shelves to little bits of chalk or the odd alien gizmo lying around. It didn't faze her, in fact the realization lit a little feeling of warmth in her and she felt herself give a wide warm genuine smile for the first time in months.

The Doctor noticed the smile when he returned with a small box of items and saw her hanging multi-coloured lights on her tree. "Is Christmas lights all it takes to make you happy? If I had known that I would have took you back to that light turn on we went too…was that last year?"

Clara's eyes widened too. "Yeah that was a year ago… we need to keep better track of time you know. Time travellers who can't keep track of time – ironic much? But no that's not why I was smiling this time."

"What was it then… did you move the couch?"

"I just noticed all your things around the apartment that's all." Clara shrugged.

He dropped the box to the couch and stared at her suspiciously. "I- do you want me to move them back to the TARDIS?"

"No!" Clara frowned. "I like it – I like knowing you're here, feeling like you have a permanent place here even if I know you don't or that it's just temporary."

"Clara…" he sighed, approaching her as he manoeuvred around the couch carefully. "I do have a permanent place here. I'm not going to leave you behind."

She smiled sadly not facing him as she held a shiny silver bauble and saw his reflection behind her. "I know you hate goodbyes Doctor – but we all leave in the end. Your companions I mean."

"Not you, not my impossible girl. I won't leave her behind." His voice was confident, full of promise.

"Don't make promises you can't keep…" Clara's voice was barely a whisper, sadness creeping in.

The Doctors hugs still surprised her after weeks of him insisting he didn't like touch of any kind, so when his arms enveloped her middle from behind she froze in a similar way to what he would have done months ago, but released into his hold eventually, leaning her head back onto his shoulder and noticing not for the first time their height difference as his chin barely grazed her forehead with stubble as he placed a gentle kissed there. She'd noticed earlier that he'd started keeping a razor and toothbrush in her bathroom.

A bang sounded in the apartment – they both jumped, Clara knocked the Doctors jaw with her head causing his teeth to click together. They turned their attention to the balcony doors where the noise had come from, the Doctors arms tightened around Clara as they noticed in the dark a single smudged hand mark on the usually clean glass – but whoever had been out there watching them was long gone.

Clara went quite. She hung the bauble in her hand on tree, then turned in his arms to look up at him. "I… I'm going to sleep on the TARDIS tonight…" and she slowly detangled herself from his arms, disappearing into the bowels of his ship, the blue door clicking shut like a vault door that would keep anything try to hurt her outside.

The Doctor unlocked her balcony doors and stepped out into the chill, feet crunching in the snow that clearly showed two large footprints at the door. Someone must have been stood there a while. He looked around, trying to spot anything unusual and out of place but even his keen eyes where limited in the dark. His lips pulled back in a vicious snarl at the idea of being watched, but he turned and went back inside locking the door behind him.

When Clara came out of the TARDIS the next morning she found the Doctor was asleep. She'd never seen him actually sleeping, so she expected him to open his eyes and sit up at her approach so when he didn't she couldn't resist waving a hand in front of his face just to make sure he really was asleep.

His hand shot up and gripped her wrist lightly, she jumped and let out a tiny 'Oh!' in response.

"Clara, sneaking up on an alert timelord is ill advised." He mumbled, eyes blinking open and gazing at her through a fogginess.

"Sorry. You do know this couch is a sofa bed right? You could just pull it out and sleep on there."

"I barely sleep, what would be the point of creating such a mess?" he sat up, barely noticing his light grip on her wrist still until he became aware of her pulse fluttering under his thumb – but he still didn't move it.

Clara was actually looking around her sitting room now – though it barely felt like hers after the previous day's intrusions – and noticed "Did you finish putting up the Christmas decorations without me?"

"I didn't think you'd be feeling very festive after last night. And you'd only half done your tree – I couldn't leave such a shameful excuse of decoration stand." He said with a roll of his eyes.

"It's good – warm." Clara smiled at the tree that was mostly filled with twinkling yellow and red lights. "I love it, thank you."

"Well. Didn't think you'd want to be decoration all day when we have things to do." He squeezed her wrist lightly.

Clara twisted her hand in his grip so she was holding onto his wrist too able to feel the light pulse under her hand she gave him a suspicious look. "What are we doing today?"

"We're going to collect a lock smith who owes me a favour – saved his planet from self-destructing so least he can do for me is give you some new door and window locks." The Doctor smiled. "And then you said you wanted to get some Christmas shopping done. Now, go get dressed – the planet we're going to is accustom to women walking around in something a bit… longer."

Which is why two hours later Clara was wearing jeans and a tartan shirt that came down to her knees (she'd done it deliberately after his 'longer' comment and was sure the Doctor knew that by the roll of his eyes when he saw her). She was putting away the Christmas food while the Doctor and an interesting looking alien with skin as male as milk and pink eyes worked on her locks speaking in whistles that the TARDIS didn't translate.

He dad rang while she was in the kitchen stocking cupboards. "Hello dad, how are you? And Linda?"

"We're great Clara. Looking forward to Christmas dinner – no naked boyfriends this time yes?" he teased.

"No I promise my… guest will be fully clothed this time." Clara shot the Doctor a warning glare when he smirked.

"So you do have a boyfriend?"

"Dad!"

"Sorry, just curious. And I can't say I enjoy thinking about you being alone down there… are you still getting those odd phone calls?"

Clara bit her lip then. She'd told her dad about the phone messages the first month she had them but hadn't told him about anything else – he'd drag her back to Blackpool kicking and screaming and probably end up putting herself and her family in even worse danger. "Just a few" she lied "but I have someone looking into it – hopefully we'll get the idiot who thinks messing with me is fun."

"Good. I don't like the idea of someone calling you just to mess with your mind. Have you saved the messages? Given them to the police?"

"Of course dad, but they can't really do anything." Clara shrugged though she was aware that her father couldn't see her. "Anyway I need to get off the phone so I can find a way to put this turkey in the freezer. Got turkey this year – it just felt wrong with no turkey at grans last year!"

"Alright – and you better have stuffing. I'll see you on Thursday! Merry Christmas sweetie!"

"Merry Christmas dad." Clara smiled as she hung up the phone and looked up, the Doctor was leaning on the door of her kitchen and had been for a while. "Now you have to come to Christmas dinner – my dad's expecting you."

The Doctors eyebrows raised at that. "Suppose I should make myself representable then? No holographic clothing for the next few days then."

She paused. "Are you wearing holographic clothing now?"

His smile widened "You wouldn't be any the wiser if I was."

"_Are you_?"

He winked. "Come on, we need to get my lock smith back home."

"Doctor! Are you wearing actual clothing _right now_?" she yelled after him as they went into the TARDIS.

Christmas day rolled around, Clara made the Doctor move the TARDIS into her bedroom despite his arguments that the cloaking device and humans natural perception filters would render it unseen by her family – she pointed out it was still a very real object and she needed the extra room.

He watched her dashing around preparing things last minute making sure placemats on the table where perfectly straight, everyone had the same patterned cutlery and the Christmas crackers where laid out red, gold, red gold.

The Doctor admitted as she nearly knocked him over coming out of the kitchen again, that it was nice to see her being so normal, focusing for once on not looking over her shoulder for her stalker. Admittedly he would have preferred she was relaxing with no stalker at all, or even that she was in the TARDIS or on another planet all together – but this was nice too.

Trying to help the Doctor was the one who answered the door when someone knocked – Clara was in the kitchen rolling the roast potatoes – but was greeted by the surprised and scrutinising faces of Clara's father, step-mother and grandmother and a stranger older man he'd not met.

Clara's grandmother was the first to say anything, eyeing the Doctor up and down. "I like this one. This one is better than the last one she brought to Christmas."

Linda snorted and followed Clara's gran into the apartment muttering "This one has clothes at least."

Clara came out of the kitchen brushing her hair out of her face, stopping when she saw the Doctor being stared at by her family. "Uh, hi." She said, drawing their attention from the timelord – for which he looked relived.

"Clara!" her father enveloped her in a hug. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas dad, Linda – and Gran this must be your… boyfriend. Gordon wasn't it?"

"Yes sweetie, I'm so glad you agreed he could come over too – he hadn't anywhere else to go. Suppose that happens when you get to our age anyway!"

"Gran don't talk like that!" Clara's dad looked pained.

"Well we're not focused on my withering away. We're more interested in your silver fox – why haven't you told us about him before Clara?" her gran was still eying up the Doctor – who looked like he wanted to melt into the wall behind him and vanish.

"Oh this is … ah." She paused, hadn't she introduced his younger face as the Doctor? She couldn't possibly introduce him as the same name…

"Doctor Smith – but I prefer just Doctor. Make it easier." The Doctor saved her, much to her relief, and shook her dad's hand.

"Another Doctor Clara?" Linda eyed her stepdaughter. "Didn't know you had such an obvious type."

"Uh yeah well. Surprise. Why don't you guys make yourselves comfortable and Doctor why don't you help me in the kitchen?"

He was genuinely confused. "You told me to get out of the kitchen – that I was in the way."

"Well now I need someone to whip the cream." She glared at him, grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen before shutting the door. She leant on the shut door afterwards and looked at him, "We really should have talked about this more beforehand…"

"Why?"

"Because my family have assumed you and I are… together."

"We are together Clara."

"I mean together intimately. Dating."

"Oh… right."

She bit her lip. "Do we play along or tell them we're just friends?"

He shrugged "Either way there will be questions. Anything else? You already told me not to tell them about your stalker."

She worried her lip a little more but finally said "My dad is a conspiracy nut. Try not to encourage him – and defiantly try not to be an alien!"

"I _am_ an alien" he smiled.

"But I know you can _act_ human so… act it. I'm used to your alien-y stuff but they won't be…"

"Just to specify – what can be classified as '_alien-y'_?" he was grinning now obviously finding this funny.

She waved her hands up "No mentioning other species or other time periods or famous people you've met, no double heart beat or sonic screwdriver. Feel free to be super smart and snarky as usual."

"At least you left me my sarcasm…" he sighed like she'd wounded him.

Overall Clara felt dinner went fairly well. The Doctor slipped up once (but Clara managed to stop him talking before he finished the sentence 'I know a lizard…' woman). He encouraged a few of her father's conspiracy ideas – but only the harmless ones so she didn't much mind, especially since her father seemed to take quite a shine to him after that. Linda seemed completely uninterested in him and preferred to talk to Gordon, her grans boyfriend who'd spent time living all over the world apparently.

After dinner gran insisted on a few board games – jenga resulted in a few people yelling at each other and minute long silence treatment between Clara and the Doctor broken only by them continuing to argue that the other had knocked the tower on purpose.

Clara didn't even notice her gran up to mischief.

Not until she was standing under the doorway on the kitchen with the Doctor, the pair had just finished washing the dishes and hand went to walk into the sitting room when her gran suddenly laughed and yelled "Nope you two, stop right there!"

Clara and the Doctor where equally bewildered. "What?" they both said "What happened?"

Linda looked amused too. "Tradition sweetie, you're under the mistletoe." She pointed above the kitchen door where Clara realised her grandmother must have hung the weed when she wasn't looking.

"What's that?" the Doctor sounded genuinely confused.

"Mistletoe, Doctor." Clara bit her lip, hoping he actually knew the tradition – it would seem a bit odd to have to explain such a well-known tradition.

"Mistle-Oh!" his eyes widened.

"Its tradition, now come on your two kiss it up" her grandmother looked like she had won the lottery – she was defiantly having too much fun with this.

Clara, for all her pounding nerves and furious blushing, shrugged nonchalantly and looked at the Doctor. "Its tradition…" she said.

"Yes…" he hesitated. "But I'm not really into kissing a girl in front of her parents – bit rude."

Clara's dad covered his eyes with a hand with a grin on his face. "I'm not looking, kiss away. Gran won't let you be until you do it so may as well be sooner rather than later."

The Doctor looked at Clara, remembering what it had been like to kiss her back with Vastra at the bone munching monster at the couples retreat. He'd been tired and annoyed at the time, seeing it as a fast get away action he'd kissed her without second thought and hadn't really let himself think about it since. Now that he did, he remembered her lips being feather light against his forceful ones, her skin smooth and tongue soft, and he wanted to feel it again.

She was looking at him, remembering the exact same thing, though he didn't seem inclined to move so she moved instead. She put her hands on his shoulders and stood on her tip toes to stretch up and reaching him intending to press a chaste kiss to his lips, she was surprised when his hands sudden went around her middle and pulled her closer his mouth closing the distance between then and swallowing the surprised gasp.

Her arms went around his neck enthusiastically, he nipped at her lip and at first they both forgot people were watching them until Gordon wolf whistled and they pulled apart abruptly each giving the other a surprised wary glance.

"Well, that was steamy" her gran was giggling. "You'd think these two had never kissed before."

Their sheepish grins where wiped from their faces by a sudden smashing of the window.

Clara's father jumped up with a yell as the curtains on the balcony doors beside his chair suddenly went up in flames. Everyone was up and across the room with startled gaps and yells and horrified looks, Gordon tried the front door but the door handle twisted uselessly in his hand before coming off all together. "We can't get out!" he yelled back at the other's who's looks of horror grew and Clara's father started dialling the fire brigade on his phone, coughing and wheezing in the smoke that was quickly filling the apartment.

Clara and the Doctor hadn't moved. They were too surprised, but hearing that they were trapped they looked at each other simultaneously reaching for the others hand as they ducked bellow the smoke.

"Everyone into the bedroom!" Clara yelled as the Doctor led the way. She waited until everyone had ran into the room before she shut the door on the fire that ate away at her home and belongings, she didn't give her family time to stop and consider the strange blue box the Doctor had vanished into before she insisted they step inside too.

"We won't all fit, we need to get out of a window and start calling for help!" her dad protested as Clara put her hand on the door to bring them inside.

"Dad" she looked at them, her voice calm "Just trust me – and don't freak out." She held out her hand, and when he hesitantly put his in hers she pulled him and the others into the TARDIS.

"Oh good, for a second I was worried you couldn't convince them to come on board!" the Doctor grinned from the controls where he was flicking switches till. "Already called the fire brigade – should be there any minute. Now, Clara's family. Welcome to the TARDIS."

Clara had barely been listening to him, instead watching her family's faces as they stood at the door gaping around the ship. When their eyes landed on her, one by one, she couldn't think of anything to say, opening her mouth and hoping that anything she said would make sense.

"Would you like some tea?" she said.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Clara, her family and the Doctor sat holding cups of tea in the kitchen of the TARDIS – the ship itself seemed to be in a state of nervous humming, Clara figured she was in tune with herself and the Doctors feelings because both of them where strung up with nerves. Not that he told her how he was feeling – the nervous tapping of his fingers on his cup and the way his eyes wouldn't meet anyone's was proof of his nerves. The tick in his tight jaw was proof he was angry about the fire too.

Her family had listened as Clara did her best to explain that she'd met the Doctor and been travelling all over the universe for years now. They hadn't said anything.

After Clara finished her shabby explanation there was a brief silence before her dad pointed at the Doctor and said "So… he's an alien?"

Clara was just relived they spoke. "Yes. Not from mars." She had no idea why she felt the need to specify that he was not from mars. "He's a timelord."

"I… right…" her dad frowned. "And you've been travelling with him in this… spaceship for years?"

"She's called the TARDIS." Clara pattered the metal wall of the kitchen fondly. "She's sentient so be polite –" at that the TARDIS made her input with a long groaning that had the Doctor look up and frown. "And yes. Since I was living with the Maitland family."

"How didn't we know you where traveling in space for that long?" her gran asked looking utterly confused.

"The TARDIS can also travel in time." The Doctor finally helped her explain. "I've had Clara back home in minutes of leaving so there was no disruption to her life here."

"So this is a time machine as well as a spaceship?" her gran frowned. "Isn't that just greedy?"

The Doctor smiled.

Clara frowned. "You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would…"

"Im old Clara, I haven't got time to be questioning what's right in front of my face." gran informed her.

"They're all handling it better than you did. You called her my snog-box and spilled your tea everywhere." The Doctor snorted.

"You dragged me in here to avoid being killed by a crashing plane – then landed us _on the crashing plane_!" Clara defended herself.

"Yes but I was very clever – I stopped the plane crashing and defeated the spoonheads." He defended right back.

"You might have defeated the spoonheads but I'm pretty sure we can agree I kicked the great intelligence's ass and since he was controlling the spoonheads I have one up on you." She rolled her eyes. "And a crashing plane is bumpy – no wonder I spilled my tea!"

"One up on me? If you want to play it like that…" the Doctor stopped, eyeing her family watching their banter and cleared his throat nodding at them. "We can discuss this another time."

"I…" Linda finally spoke. "I'm not sure I believe this…"

"Feel free to look outside the doors. We're floating right between your moon and earth right now." The Doctor invited.

Clara's dad suddenly placed his hand over Clara's on the table, but he was looking at the Doctor. "Doctor. This travelling with you… it explains the change in Clara over the years and I'm not going to lie that it was a good change. She's been happier, easier to find the optimistic side. But is it safe?"

The Doctor looked at his impossible girl who was looking right back at him. She opened her mouth, and he opened his sure she was going to lie to her family but was surprised when they both answered him:

"_No_."

The Doctor stared at her as she continued speaking.

"No dad, it's not safe." But she was smiling. "The Doctors isn't a tour guide of the galaxy – he's the Doctor. He fixes things. He doesn't always go where he _wants_ to go, the TARDIS takes him where he _needs_ to go – and usually that's somewhere dangerous. I've seen him save entire civilisations, planets even! I've seen him do _amazing_ things – things that would have started _wars _on earth but he fixed with a few sentences." She sighed, refusing to look at the Doctor as she said "I'm not going to lie, I've nearly died a few times… at some points I have died and I know that makes no sense to you but… yeah its dangerous, and it's fantastic and I love it."

Her dad said nothing, looking down and biting his lip.

"Hey dad its fine, anyway the Doctor can probably tell you which of your conspiracy theories are actually correct?" she tried to cheer him up.

He gave a weak smile, then turned to the Doctor. "Can you keep her safe?" he asked.

The Doctor hesitated, but replied truthfully. "I try, I really do – but she's far too stubborn to take orders-"

"-He's right, it's not his fault."

Her dad looked at Linda, then back to Clara. "This… life? The Doctor… makes you happy?" he asked.

"Very. Really."

"Then I'm not about to ask you to stop just because I'm worried." Her dad sighed. "You're an adult and make your own choices and… it sounds like you've chosen a pretty spectacular life. I am concerned about your dying comment though?"

"Oh… that will take a while to explain and I would like to get back to my apartment at some point." She stalled.

Her dad blinked. "Your apartment, it's on fire… someone threw a flaming bottle through your window Clara!"

"Yeah I thought you said your area was save love?" her gran frowned.

"I- it is usually…" she worried her lip.

The Doctor put a hand on her shoulder behind her and gave an encouraging smile, but took over explaining for her. "Clara's had some trouble recently with a, well a stalker."

"A stalker!" Linda looked horrified. "Is that what those phone calls you told your dad about where about?"

"Yeah…" Clara had put her face in her hands as she lent on the table – the Doctors hand still on her shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell us sweetie?" her gran sounded hurt.

"I didn't want to put you in any danger… I guess I thought the Doctor and I could goad the guy out and get him to stop before I had to tell you…"

"Is that why you were around for Christmas dinner then?" gran asked the Doctor suspiciously.

"That, and Clara invited me. I've been pretty much living with her since she told me about this stalker. This is the first time he's been physically violent." The Doctor squeezed her shoulder. "This should be enough for the police to finally arrest him."

"Only if there's enough evidence." Clara mumbled.

"The bottle was still in the apartment and the firemen should be there pretty swiftly. If they can put the fire out quick enough they could still retrieve the bottle and get prints."

"Yeah… I guess…" she sighed, pulling her hands down from her face finally and staring at the table. "I can't believe he set my home on fire…"

The TARDIS suddenly made another noise, the Doctor looked up with a slight frown. "We've landed." He said "Apparently she got impatient. We should be just outside your apartment ten minutes after leaving…"

Clara stood, so did her family and they all followed the Doctor back to the control room – though she had them hang back a bit while he went outside to check it was indeed the right time. He'd gotten it right of course and when they came out of the police box they were surrounded by fire trucks and gawkers. She was pleased to see the fire seemed to have been extinguished already – the Doctor was already talking to the fire chief, and Clara was flagged down by her concerned neighbours.

"Oh Clara dear I was so worried when the alarms went off and we were evacuated and I saw it was your apartment!" Mrs Brown said holding her dog to her chest.

"Yeah I know, I don't know what happened…" Clara fumbled to explain to her neighbour's for ten minutes until she saw the Doctor and her father waving at her to come talk to the fire chief.

"Clara, this is the fire chief" her father introduced them.

"And I was right – they retrieved the bottle that started the fire and think they can get usable prints from it." the Doctor added.

"Yeah, your father tells me this could have been an attack from a man who's stalking you – this should be enough to get him arrested for the fire at least." The fire chief looked encouragingly at her. "But your apartment is pretty damaged – I can let you in to retrieve some belongings but do you have a place to stay until your apartment is renovated?"

"I – uh…" Clara looked at the Doctor, then her dad.

Her dad for his part tried to give a genuine smile she saw that much as he said "It's fine if you want to stay with him instead of me Clara. I… think I understand. So long as I'm allowed to pick his brains about conspiracy theories some time."

The Doctor smiled at that, waited until it was just the three of them and whispered to her dad "Did you know the moon is actually an egg?"

"Really?" her dad went wide eyed as he looked at the sky despite the moon not being visible.

"Ask Clara." The Doctor smiled, and Clara nodded in affirmative but was unable to keep her eyes from rolling as she did it.

"I knew it…" her dad smiled, rocking back on his heels.

Clara and her family finished Christmas evening with her neighbours – who noticed a slight tension between the family but said nothing – until her family finally went home, Clara telling them to call her if they had more questions about her life. She and the Doctor went upstairs to her apartment then, ducking under the security tape and then just standing in her went burnt out sitting room.

"I still can't believe he set my apartment on fire…" she whispered, picking up one of the only Christmas ornaments that wasn't burnt.

"Try not to think about it…" the Doctor advised moving through her apartment to find something salvageable. He spotted the mistletoe spring above her kitchen door, remembering the kiss he shared with her earlier he felt a kind of fondness for the weed that had miraculously not been burnt.

"Is that what you do about everything? Just not feel?" Clara frowned at him, slight irritation in her voice.

He gaped at her then. "No! Of course I feel something's…"

She sighed "Sorry I didn't mean to snap – but you keep telling me not to feel and… I guess I just can't do that."

He cocked his head to one side thoughtfully then while checking her kitchen which didn't seem to have been touched by the fire. "I guess this regeneration is just not as good with feelings as my past few where…"

Clara looked at him over her shoulder. "Well, what do you feel now?"

He frowned looking over his shoulder. "Confused. What do you feel now Clara?"

She smiled softly. "I also feel confused. And sad. Angry… accepting."

"That's a lot of negative feelings for such a small person." He commented.

She gestured around the room. "Kind of hard to have a positive feeling."

"Bet I can point out one good thing."

"Oh?"

He reached up and pulled the Mistletoe from above the door, holding it out to her he said "Well this survived the fire, your tradition?"

Clara did smile. "Mistletoe is only good if you have someone to kiss."

The Doctor offered her a hand to help her stand, and when she took it he pulled her hard against him. Her hands pressed against his chest feeling the double thump of his hearts – she barely had a seconds of notice before the Doctors mouth was on hers, hard and yet soft at the same time. He sucked in her lower lip, nibbling it lightly, until Clara got over her initial shock and relaxed allowing him access to the rest of her, Clara's hands finding their ways up his arms and shoulders into his hair where she gripped lightly as his tongue stroked over hers.

When they finally pulled away, gasping for breath, the Doctor leaned his forehead on hers and just held her like that for a moment before he asked "How do you feel now?" sounding slightly breathless.

"Still confused…" she replied honestly.

"Damn, and here I was trying to make you happy…" he kissed her forehead again, and she felt his lips smile against her skin. "Come, I think it's just this room that's damaged by fire. You have clothes on the TARDIS and you should really get some sleep after today…"

She nodded, but hesitated to move when he tried to pull her out of the door. He looked at her questioningly when she remained stationary – staring into her big round eyes full of questions.

"Why- did you just do that… I don't…?" she tried to phrase her question but couldn't quite manage it.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, closed the distance between them again and placed his hands on her cheeks giving her a softer kiss this time he looked down at her softly when they parted and said "I was feeling – not thinking. Just like you do. And if I started feeling instead of thinking sooner, I'd have probably done that sooner too."

Clara sat in the library on the TARDIS staring at her phone. She'd just had a conversation with her gran who'd phone near constantly since finding out about her travels with the Doctor – she was mostly concerned about her stalker and ironically not about her alien travels. Maybe the stalker was just the most normal thing she could think about.

With a sigh she got up and made her way to the kitchen intent on another cup of tea. The Doctor was in the control room figuring out some problem on the chalk boards – had been since she woke up the day after the fire – and hadn't mentioned anything about their kisses. She wasn't keen to mention it either and she was embarrassed to admit it was because of her fear of rejection.

She was halfway through making her cup of tea when she realised there was no milk. Irritated and in desperate need of tea, she made the decision to pop into the shop down the street and retrieved her coat form her room before heading to the control room to leave.

She had her hand on the door when the Doctor asked "Where are you going?"

She looked behind her. He hadn't moved from staring at the chalk board. "I was sure you'd forgotten I was here." She teased.

"Never could do that." He shrugged, still not looking.

"I'm just going to the shop on the corner to get some milk – we're out."

He turned then, eyeing her. "Are you sure that's safe?"

She hesitated. "I don't know, but I can't drag you away from your important work just for tea. We're in the TARDIS though – I'm sure he doesn't know I'm staying in the mysterious blue box on the street corner… he's probably busy checking relatives and friends home for me after the fire?"

The Doctor looked at her now. "Who are you trying to convince, me or you?"

"Both."

He smiled at her honesty, then reached into his pocket and tossed her the sonic screwdriver. "Every sonic has a part of the TARDIS's matrix in it. If you take too long I won't hesitate to track you down so keep hold of that."

"So you don't think he's out there ready to spring me either?" she sounded uncomfortable, afraid of going to get milk now and feeling stupid for being afraid.

The Doctor sighed. "It's hard to know what he's thinking. I don't know if he's keen enough on watching you that he's taken notice of the TARDIS despite the cloaking device and perception filter. But I think your right that he'll be looking elsewhere for you – I know I would be. And it's the middle of the day… and I know you don't want to be afraid anymore so this is the only way you can learn not to be."

"Alright. I won't be long, quick nip in and out be back in five minutes and in ten I'll come bug you about your chalk boards with a nice fresh hot cuppa." She teased, leaving the TARDIS.

"No jammie dodgers this time!" he yelled after her.


	12. Chapter 12

_This is the last chapter of watch over me! It feels oddly rushed - so I might come back and revise this at some point, but I am utterly swamped at the moment and really wanted to get this finished before I started work for my assessment tomorrow (which coincidentally is also on Doctor who ;)) Still I hope this is pleasing enough for everyone! _

**Chapter Twelve**

The Doctor wrote the conclusion to his theory with a flourish – a bit too much enthusiasm in the flourish actually because he broke the chalk. Again.

Then again, he thought looking down at the broken chalk stick, it had been a long time since he had broken the chalk at all. Last time had been… before Clara was attacked – the day she phoned and asked him for help. So much had happened between them in a year, so much that had forced his new colder heart to open up to the girl and show her, and face it himself, exactly how much he cared for her. He already knew that every emotion felt different in every regeneration – some of them felt certain emotions far easier than others. This regeneration obviously felt anger the easiest, it was always there festering under his skin just waiting for an outlet. But he was sure now, very sure, that the passionate warmth he felt for Clara, the one that made his hearts beat faster, was almost certainly love.

He smiled at the realisation he had just managed to admit that to himself and turned with the same smile on his face to see if Clara was in the room – not that he was sure he could actually form the words in his mouth and tell her yet, but he would settle for seeing her… or touching her… kissing her again would be even better…

She wasn't there.

His smile dropped, a frown replaced it. He actually couldn't remember her coming back from the shop – something he was sure he'd notice.

Dread surged in him, he grabbed the console screen and set a trace for the sonic screwdriver – sure enough it was not on board and he doubted she'd have lost it. The signal was actually coming from a few blocks away – much further than where the shop was.

Fear and alarm in his hearts, he pulled a lever with force that made the TARDIS groan in protest.

Clara woke up and held her head, it was pounding heavily and she barely remembered something hard hitting her before she blacked out. She was actually surprised when she pulled her hand back from the bump on her skull that there was no blood – she'd been sure such force would crack her skull.

"Don't worry darling, I cleaned your wound up – I didn't want all that blood messing up your beautiful hair." A voice said in the corner.

Clara gave a startled noise crossed between a yelp and scream and scrambled backwards away from the voice.

She had no idea where she was – the walls where metal like the TARDIS but defiantly not the Timelord's ship. If she had to guess she'd say a warehouse – but she couldn't remember how she got there. Her eyes focused in the dim light – and she saw a larger man with messy brown hair and almost black eyes watching her from the far wall.

"Ethan…" Clara breathed his name with horror on her lips.

"Yes love – we're finally together. You put me through quite a run around didn't you? Locking me out of our home – well I sure got back in again didn't I? But then you changed the locks again! And after invent that stranger to live with you? What would the neighbours say?"

"You're deluded!" Clara hissed "You _broke _into _my _home it was never _ours_ there was never an _us!_"

Ethan frowned with concerned and stepped closer to her. "Did I hit your head too hard? Our relationship was wonderful until you suddenly had that fit in the alley when we were walking home from the bar!" he frowned. "All that talk about me _attacking_ you? Why would I ever attack you? I love you!"

"Relationship!" she gave a mad bark of hysterical laughter. "Your nuts, absolutely bananas! We never had a relationship – I hadn't even met you until that night in the bar! And you did attack me! You tried to force me to have sex with you and when I said no you crack my head off a wall and dislocated my shoulder!" she took a breath but continued her rant. "You don't know what love is – you're obsessed! You stalked me for nearly a year! You threatened me, tormented me, and invaded my home!"

Ethan cleared the space between them before Clara could move out of the way – he slammed his hands onto the wall either side of her head and caged her in. "No!" he spat. "You tormented _me_! I love you Clara! Why would you refuse to speak to me? What did I do? I thought I showed you I loved you when I got rid of that cat that kept you awake at night! But then you go invite that _other man_ into your home? You kiss _him_! You invited _him_ to Christmas dinner without me? Don't tell me you _slept_ with him Clara or I swear to god I'll-!

"You'll what?" the Doctors voice was thick with his accent as it echoed off the metal walls of the warehouse. Somehow Clara had missed the sound of the TARDIS materialising, but she didn't miss the silver haired furious timelord standing before it.

"I'll kill her!" Ethan whirled on the Doctor, grabbing Clara and holding her in front of him – a Swiss army knife pressed against her throat.

"You'll kill the woman you love?" the Doctor couldn't keep the rage out of his voice, despite his calm words.

"I'll kill her. If I can't have her no one can!" Ethan murmured against Clara's neck and pressed kisses over her pulse as she strained to get away from the knife as well as he touch.

The Doctor moved fast, rage burning under his skin the second he saw the stalkers lips on Clara's skin he was barely aware of moving until his fist was connecting with the other man's face, his whole face made a sickening crunch under his hand and Clara ran out from his grip as soon as it loosened coughing and spluttering her way to the TARDIS feeling relief rush over her when she heard the sound of police sirens outside.

When the first door of the warehouse opened and policemen rushed in, the Doctor was still standing over the whimpering Ethan on the floor and Clara was crouched near the blue box massaging her throat and taking deep breaths to stop the hot tears that threatened to spill. The Doctor stepped back and allowed the police to do their work with the stalker. One of them looked up at the Doctor in a kind of fear and awe. "I think you broke his nose _and_ jaw!"

"He terrorized, kidnapped and touched my girl." The Doctor retorted, then shared a nod with the two policemen who less than politely handcuffed and showed Ethan out of the warehouse.

A policewoman crouched near Clara, rubbing comforting circles on her back she smiled and said "I remember you when you first got attacked, I asked if I could be the one to give you good news." the woman smiled encouragingly as Clara looked up at her with a glimmer of recognition. "We got his prints off the bottle that was used to set your apartment on fire – and a witness that can swear to him knocking you out outside the newsagent a few hours ago. He's not going anywhere – not for a while."

Clara threw her arms around the policewoman who gave a soft laugh and patted her back twice. "Thank you!" Clara was unable to not smile when she finally let tears roll down her face – but from relief and not fear.

The Doctor approached wanting to know why she was grinning so broadly. He barely had time to ask before Clara threw herself into his arms and kissed him before hugging him tightly. The policewoman – he recognised her from that night he had to pick Clara up from the hospital – smiled at him politely before returning to her fellow officers. "They've defiantly got him!" Clara told him with a smile as she pulled away, wiping at her face. "They've got his prints and a witness!"

"Good!" his voice was still a growl as he massaged his knuckles lightly.

"Did you hurt your hand when you hit him?" she frowned, taking his hand lightly in her own and brushing the bloodied knuckles – not his blood she noticed with a kind of angry pleasure.

"I hurt him worse that's what counts" the Doctor said, removing his hand from hers to brush his fingers lightly over her neck. Clara shuddered lightly at the touch, but the pleasure lessened when she realised the Doctor was brushing blood from a light cut on her neck – probably caused by the Swiss knife when she ran. Somehow she couldn't care – it was over.

Later when they left the police station having spent that last few hours filling out paperwork and making statements – and finally being given the news Ethan had confessed to everything so no trial would be needed – the adrenaline had left Clara feeling a little achy and sore, not that she let it show in her voice when she ran her family and told them the news. She only let it show once she was back in the TARDIS with the Doctor. She rested her arms on the TARDIS and let out a groan of relief, tiredness and soreness.

She felt the Doctor at her back before he said anything. "Tired Ghrá?" he asked, his voice hushed almost.

"Mmm you still haven't told me what that means…" Clara leaned back into the Doctors touch when he put his hands on her shoulders and massaged deeply with his thumbs.

"I believe I told you to brush up on your Gaelic." He replied, lips just brushing her earlobe.

"We both know I'm probably never going to do that…"

He chuckled lightly, burying his face in her hair he finally said softly "Love."

"What?" Clara had closed her eyes but opened them in surprise at that.

"Ghrá. It means love." The Doctor said softly. "I've been calling you love all this time and you didn't know…"

The thought made her smile. "Ghrá is much nicer than sounding Yorkshire and calling me 'love'." She shrugged.

The Doctor spun her around then so she was facing him and stared at her unblinking as he said "I didn't call your ghrá to avoid sounding Yorkshire… I did it so you wouldn't know that I… so I wouldn't have to say that I…"

Clara smiled, reaching up she pulled him down and kissed him deeply, he seemed surprised at first but his hands found her waist eventually and pulled her flush against him. When they parted she kissed his chin and looked up into his eyes and admitted out loud for the first time "I love you Doctor. Always have, always will."

His reaction was instantaneous. His lips descended on hers forcefully again, hands moving from her waist up, thumbs just reaching under her shirt to brush the bare skin they found there. Clara used this as an invitation to feel more of him too and moved hands through his hair – her nails biting down eliciting a soft groan from him. Apparently he liked that.

His mouth moved from hers to press kisses along her jaw, lick up her earlobe and move down her neck being hesitant around the fresh cut on her throat but his tongue flicking out to sooth the pain. She hummed at that – but kept control of her involuntary noises unlike him.

"Clara, Clara, Clara… my impossible girl…" the Doctor mumbled between kisses to her throat and collar following her shirt and low as it went and eyes flicking up to her face to check what he was doing was fine with her as his fingers hovered on the top button on her blouse.

Feeling more than a little mischievous, Clara winked down at him and stepped away – seeing the worry and disappointment on his face she reached out and took his hand, pressing a kiss to it as she lead him down the TARDIS corridors to her bedroom. She saw him smile and his eyes darken with lust and desire when he realised where they were headed.

Later, lying on the bed and tangled up in naked limbs and soft bed sheets, Clara curled up to the Doctors side with her head rested on his chest as she began to fall into a sleep she knew would be the most relaxed one she'd had in over a year.

She felt him move, was concerned he was getting up since the Timelord didn't need to sleep, instead he was pressing kisses to her forehead again while his hand brushed up and down her bare back lightly. She heard him whisper quite clearly, probably thinking she was already asleep, "I love you my impossible girl. I love you."

Smiling into his chest and deciding not to pretend she was asleep she whispered back "I know. I love you too. My smart-Idiot."

He froze underneath her – but squeezed her lightly and gave a slight chuckle.


End file.
